The Googly

Performance of the Day - Wasim Jaffer

Test cricket offers such different delights to the shorter forms of the game that it's sometimes hard to think of them as part of the same family. After India's adrenaline fuelled rush to the World Twenty20 just a few short months ago, we might have expected the shrewd captaincy of Dhoni, the aggression of Sreesanth and the elan of Yuvraj to hold centre-stage for a while. But no. Come Test cricket, different skills are needed. Dhoni has returned to the ranks and Sreesanth and Yuvraj bide their time.

So who is holding centre-stage? Step forward Wasim Jaffer, the tall, quietly effective opener sitting atop the middle-order strokemakers. He was a vital component in India's series win in England and played handy knocks of 32 and 53 in the low scoring first Test in the India vs Pakistan series. Today he cashed in with 192 at the Haydenesque strike rate of 75 including three consecutive boundaries of the very highest class off a bemused Tanvir Sohail.

Cricket offers a home to all personalities and temperaments. Today, Wasim Jaffer showed that even India's galacticos need a stable base - perhaps Pakistan's selectors should look and learn about the benefits of stability, especially when building a bowling attack.

[The Tooting Trumpet] [Image: Getty]

Final preparations for England in Kandy

Less than 48 hours after reading that Darren Lehmann, president of the Australian Cricketers' Association, stated that due to the political situation in Pakistan "if there's any risk at all the tour [in 2008] might not go ahead", I have been heartened today to both read reports and hear statements from England in Sri Lanka that this series will carry on regardless of yesterday's bomb attacks that left 17 dead in Colombo.

I'm not quite sure why Kevin Pietersen was put forward as the spokesman for the England team -  maybe simply because he was schedulled for an interview with Aggers anyway - but actually he spoke movingly and eloquently. After any tragedy, let alone one that has had the consequences of the Colombo bombs, quoting sportspeople can seem trite but Kevin's words were apt. He said how the bombings had been a shock to the team and that obviously their security people would assess the situation but then said: "our hearts do go out for those innocent people, Sri Lankans, who were killed yesterday". It was quite clear how seriously he took the situation.

I was moved, and so reader, please forgive me for writing about this rather than how for the umpteenth time I heard the news today that "Harmy is coming up nicely in the nets". If I were given a pound for every pre-match report that suggested that Steve was on the point of regaining his Grievous Bodily Harmison form of 2005, I'd be in Kandy watching, not writing about it!

On other team matters, I did find it more than a tad amusing this afternoon to read Matt Prior's blog on the BBC where after rabbiting on about the Premiership he lurches into his television preferences and says "I'm going to look like a right badger". This talking about his fondness for US show Prison Break, not a fondness for watching video replays of Paul Nixon!

Hum.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]

101 Weird Cricket Occurences, No 6: Warwickshire find themselves in a Blair Witch Project scenario

C&G Trophy, 2005, Warwickshire draw Holland and take a trip to Rotterdam in the first round.  Unfortunately for them, when they reached the city the club ground had recently moved and the coach driver fell victim to the old out of date satnav problem and left the team stranded in a field.  The Bears then had to walk through the woods in the rain until they were picked up and taken to the right place.  Warwickshire won the game by 23 runs.

Thankfully, no over-hyped and underwhelming-to-the-point-of-dreadful film was made of the incident.

Video: First Test; India defeat Pakistan by six wickets

Part one here, part two after the jump

India v.s Pakistan: TEST 1 Day 5 Part 1
Uploaded by cvp2

India v.s Pakistan: TEST 1 Day 5 Part 2
Uploaded by cvp2

Why Gary Kirsten is the right man for India

After much searching, reports suggest that the BCCI have appointed former South Africa opener Gary Kirsten as their new coach.  Here is The Googly lowdown on why he is the man.

1.  Despite having only just turned 40, he looks at least 50, so the younger members of the squad will be kidded into thinking he has more experience

2.  His legendary patience and determination at the crease during his 101tests will stand him is good stead as he wades through the treacly sea of massive egos, arguments and bureaucracy that is Indian cricket

3.  He once had his face mashed in by a Shoaib Akhtar delivery, so he is no doubt out for some revenge on his new team's greatest rival.

4.  He knows what it is like to stare down the barrel of shame and come out the other side; he was once bowled in a Test match by Mark Butcher.

5.  He looks a bit like Billy Zane, and Zane managed to pull Kelly Brook.

Cricket Snapshot: Take that!

Matthew Hoggard gets drenched in water by and elephant, during his visit to a sanctuary today.  Still, makes a change from Fred doing it with beer, like on most previous tours. [Image: Getty]

England vs Sri Lanka - The Best of the Bets Part II

Having tipped England to win the ODI series (at a handy 5/2), The Trumpet ventures forth searching for value in the upcoming Test series. Join me over the jump for the fixed odds and spread market tips.

I like the look of a drawn series which is available at 4/1 with Paddy Power (for 1-1) that you might want to run alongside a little saver on an England series win at 3/1 with Stan James. Once we can be sure of his selection, I fancy Ryan Sidebottom as England's top bowler (9/2 with Paddy Power). Finally Michael Vandort looked very good Down Under recently and might be worth a small punt with Paddy Power at 15/2 for the top Lankan batsman, should the big guns fail.

On the spreads, Sportingindex are offering England's series ton ups at 80 - 95, which the Trumpet sees as a useful buy. (For new readers of this column, this means that I expect England's century-makers to score a combined total of at least 95 runs above the 100 mark: so one knock of 196 from KP puts me in the money or a 146 from Colly with a 150 from Michael Vaughan). The Trumpet's much er... trumpeted fears for the England tail leads me to suggest a big sell on that market available at 190 - 210 (batsmen 8 to 11 total runs for the series). Finally, The Trumpet is recommending a buy on Alastair Cook's total runs market quoted at 195 - 210 - he can hit tons on the sub-continent and the Lankans' new ball attack is not as strong as it might be.

[The Tooting Trumpet] [Image: Getty]

Classic England vs Sri Lanka: Malinga hits Tres's stumps

But fails to dislodge the bail!  The more you watch this the more unbelievable it seems.

Who do you toss the ball to?

It is often said that Clive Lloyd wasn't a great skipper - all he needed to do was shout down to Third Man for Mikey or Andy or Colin or Maco to get loose and that was his work done. Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting have captaincy records as good as any but they were armed with two "Get out of jail free" cards in Warne and McGrath. With Warne's threat often blunted against India and McGrath absent from England's two wins in 2005, they didn't look quite so impressive in the pointing and whistling roles. Which is a long way round to saying that bowlers matter to captains, so how will Michael Vaughan play his hand come Saturday?

The Trumpet would want Hoggy and Monty without question. He'd then look for control and threat in that order and he'd want it backed by plenty of ticker to keep bowling to plans even if the scoreboard reads 225-3 and you're in your twentieth over. For all Broad's promise, Jimmy's occasional brilliance and Harmy's intermittent hostility, I'd want to throw the ball to the newly battle-hardened Sidebottom and the crafty, ultra-confident Swann. To back those four up, I'd want Colly to bowl little cutters mixing up his pace, and Ravi to use up five or six overs for 18 before the new ball. That attack also offers the possibility of partnerships down the order.

So Michael, the Fab Five of 2005 will never return, as we all knew they wouldn't if we're honest. There's 600 overs or so to be bowled in the next three weeks - to whom do you toss the ball?

[The Tooting Trumpet] [Image: Getty]   

Performance of the Day: Alastair Cook

I've been allowed back into the PotD hot seat, and unashamedly, I am foregoing all other contenders to choose Alastair Cook. He was not today's top-scorer, but he is looking like England's best hope as a batsman for the forthcoming Test series. A respectable 35 in the first innings of this match, and a confident 58 today. Cook appears to be the most comfortable with the conditions in Sri Lanka.

I hope his opening partnership with Michael Vaughan will go well next time out, and that they (and the other top order men) will not let down bowlers of quality such as Matthew Hoggard and maybe Stuart Broad.

[Image: Getty] [mimitig]