Mitchell Starc : The pace machine

Kingsmead, Durban, March 2, 2018 : South African faces are forlorn. Aussies are chuffed and why wouldn't they be? They look set to win this first test barring a miracle from Proteas. They took a lead of 189 runs on a track which is already getting tougher to bat on.

Australia sit in this comfortable position because of one man: The pace machine, the kryptonite to the tailenders, arguably the best fast bowler in the world right now: Mitchell Starc.
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South Africa are 158-6 with De Kock cleaned up by a beauty from GOAT (Lyon, in case you don't know how his teammates address him). Philander has come out to bat with AB looking as breezy as ever. South Africa are 193 runs behind and still hopeful to restrict the deficit to a minimum. They are aware that last three wickets of Aussies managed 100 runs to give them a respectable total of 351. Philander certainly is no mug with the bat and 7 fifties in test cricket reflect that. With Maharaj and Rabada yet to come and with useful partnerships with AB, their dream was not far off.

This will all turn out to be fantasy as Mitchell Starc is brought on to bowl with a ball which is 45 overs old. Three slips and a gully in place all licking their lips as Starcy starts on his way.

Starc to Philander: over 49.3 - A pure jaffa! Starc was going around the wicket to the right-hander and the ball angling towards philander pitched on middle, trying to crash onto leg stump. Philander, in my opinion, did what he should have done, tried to work it towards mid-wicket to grab a couple. It was a correct stroke.

Except he had no clue about the prowess of Starc with old ball when it reverses. The ball, changed its trajectory as if it was being controlled by a remote from Starc and straightened. It got a nick and Paine did the rest. Philander had not got a cat in a hell's idea how he got dismissed. He did everything right there. And yet he was walking back.
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Mitchell Starc seems to be getting better daily. He is currently 28 and at the perfect age for a fast bowler. At the right side of 30, the body of a fast bowler starts taking shape to generate enormous pace along with experience and maturity. He has already picked up 170 test wickets in 40 tests at a whopping strike rate of 49. Among all Australian bowlers with at least 150 test wickets, his strike rate is easily the best. (Johnson comes next at 51.1) Yesterday was the 9th instance of him taking 5 wickets in a test innings. His white ball stats are unparalleled. He was easily the man of the series in 2015 world cup with 23 wickets at a stunning average of 9! With the bat, he can put out a few lusty blows (like he did yesterday 35 off 25). His highest test score being 99. He is a complete cricketer, someone you would want every day of the week in your team. You will know what he will do. You can't survive it even after knowing. You know what is coming. He will do it anyway. Pure Fear. Full, fast, straight. Whether you try to hit with bat or pad, you are gone.

Starc often takes the pitch out of the equation. With the pitch assistance, he can destroy an entire tribe of cricketers. He is a fast bowling freak. 

The only silver lining when you get out to Starc in such mood is: The pain is brief. It is over as soon as it begins. And you will get sympathy from everyone as they know deep in their hearts that they couldn't have done much better either.
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Australian pace attack is a pure package. If the toe-breaker Starc doesn't get you, the inexhaustible Josh Hazlewood will. If they both don't, then the fierce Pat Cummins will. If you manage to avoid getting bruises and survive (without hitting yourself with bat in frustration), then the GOAT will. With Ashes being won at home, where Australia are traditionally indomitable, it was easy to brush their success off to home advantage and all that. But, here in Kingsmead, they showed why they are such a good bowling side. They were relentless throughout. In post-day presentation, even the great AB said, "They seemed to know what they were doing and they executed it to perfection."

Good teams often do that.

The obsession of Aussies with pace is not new. Starting with Lillee, Thomson, Lee, Johnson, Tait and now Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins, Stanlake, Coulter-nile, Pattinson. They seem to have a whole army of fast bowlers ready to fire at word go. Jarrod Kimber has written an excellent article over it.
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Keshav Maharaj is out to bat in the middle with South Africa in deep trouble. The resistance lasts for 5 balls when Josh Hazlewood put him out of his misery. Pitched outside the off, nipping back in to hit the top of offstump. The dream wicket for any fast bowler.

Out comes Kagiso Rabada. His averages don't reflect it. But, he can be a stubborn pain the a** for the fielding side. On numerous occasions, he has frustrated the hell out of captains as a night-watchman. His dead-bat technique is often reliable. He took the single off the last ball of Hazlewood to get off the mark and retain the strike. Now, He was going to be up against Mitchell Starc. This was going to be some show.

I was cursing at home. Why in God's name will you take single off the last ball when the batting-freak is batting so well at the other end? For Christ' sake, Give that guy some brain. I was angry and cursing at Rabada. It was a no-brainer. AB should have taken as much strike as possible and try to push proteas towards 200.

Starcy bowled a half-volley outside the off-stump to Rabada and Rabada put it away towards covers for a couple. I was again cursing why did he come back for the second when there was a chance to get off the strike. Starc had set him up so beautifully. It was like a predator setting eye on a prey. I knew that a full, fast, straight delivery was coming. Shaun Pollock mentioned it on air that Rabada should be ready for a straight delivery. It was such common sense. Starc did as was expected. Full, fast, straight onto the middle-stump.

Rabada still managed to avoid hitting the ball with the bat. There was no going back from there. Umpire raised the fingers. Rabada opted to go for a review, more in hope than in expectation. He knew that he had no chance. AB knew he had no chance. Umpire knew he had no chance. Starc knew he had no chance. I, sitting at my home knew that he had no chance. Everyone in the universe knew that he had no chance. Third umpire did the rest.
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Morne Morkel was the last man out there. Starc had four balls left. Now, AB was realizing his mistake of not retaining the strike when he had the chance. The question now was : how on earth was Morne Morkel going to survive those 4 missiles by Starc? First ball he faced was a wild swing and a miss. All the ooh-aahs from the Aussies slip-cordon followed. Next ball, Starcy cleaned him up with another beauty. The ball pitched on leg-stump and first hit the pads before crashing onto stumps. AB was left stranded on 71. South Africa had lost their last 5 wickets for 12 runs, while Australian 8,9,10 milked more than 100 runs. Tells you about the difference Starc makes on a cricket field. This was high-class fast bowling at his best. (Not to forget the contribution of GOAT when he got 2 wickets in his first over)
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For South Africa, this should be an eye-opener of what is about to follow for the next 3 weeks. If they were thinking of their first home test series win against Australia, they better think again. This young, confident Australian team looks so hard to stop. Let's all wait and watch what unfolds further.

The rise of Moeen Ali and England's triumph

Old Trafford: There were so many things about this test match which caught so much attention. James Anderson bowling from James Anderson end, Pressure on South Africa to protect the streak of not losing a series in England since 1998, Faf under pressure to not lose his first test series as captain, Pressure on Root to start well in his first test series as captain, So many careers of newbies like Jennings, Malan, Kuhn, De Bruyn etc. on line and so on. There were so many speculations going on over the combination.

All the matches played in this series were quite similar in a lot of way. Team winning the toss (England on 3 occasions, South Africa on 1) chose to bat first, put a respectable total, gain a reasonable lead and then winning comprehensively defending in fourth innings. Despite the role played by toss, I firmly believe England were more consistent after a long time with bat and ball and always stayed ahead in 3 out of 4 games in this series. South Africa missed the services of AB, Steyn and Philander (in the last test) badly. Better team won at the end.

South Africa have a lot to think about their combinations. With AB almost certain to call it a day on red-ball career, they need to groom someone for number 4. Bavuma has been solid, but he is fragile as well. He gets starts and then throws it away. De Kock batting position has been very fickle and he needs to be given a healthy go at a fixed position. I would want him to bat at number 7. He can do a lot of damage coming down the order and taking the attacks apart. Hashim Amla's power seems to be on the wane, still he is the best they have at this moment. Faf just had a bad series. Elgar has been the biggest positive in last 3 years for South Africa. With just a little tweak here and there, there is no reason why they can't be a good test team.
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Let's talk about Moeen Ali. A person who believes in Cricket, faith and family. I can't imagine anyone who doesn't like him. Hating him is like hating nature, rainbows, sunny day in winter and cricket itself. He comes from a poor background in Birmingham and is a perfect example of how talent trumps every adversity thrown in the way. He is an epitome of humility and gentleness. England have found a gem in Moeen the test cricketer.

Moeen Ali is not very talkative. He is a silent achiever. He is humble and as honest a cricketer as you will ever find. He has picked up a test hat-trick. He picked up so many vital wickets in this series. He slams innings like 87 and 75* when England desperately needed it.  Moeen Ali is the only one to achieve 250+ runs and 25 or more wickets in a four-Test series. Since his debut, Moeen Ali has won 5 Man of the Match awards for Moeen Ali in Tests - the joint most for England, alongside Joe Root, in this period. Only Steve Smith has higher (6).

Statistics don't always tell the full story, of course. Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes give England enviable depth in the middle order. Combine that with the superb form of Johnny Bairstow and they have the best lower middle order in the world. Moeen Ali has been a catalyst in the making of this England side.

Moeen Ali's rise has been enormous. From a bowler who used to succeed because batsmen wanted to annihilate him, he has come such a long way. He has taken so many top-order wickets that it is fair to call him a proper bowler. He is not like other off-spinners. He bowls quick and gets drift and the ball skids through. It has been one of the reasons he has been so successful in English conditions. He picked up 18 wickets against India in 2014 who are adept at spin. He has made a double of 2000 runs and 100 wickets faster than Sir Botham, Hadlee, Kapil, Sobers, Kallis, Imran Khan. He is a bloody good cricketer.

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Final Words: It was surreal to watch James Anderson bowling from his own end. Marcus Trescothick has an end named after him in Somerset, but there is a big difference between hitting sixes to your end and picking up wickets from your end. Jimmy had a great test match by picking 7 crucial wickets. He seems to be certain to make the Ashes trip this summer and reach the summit of 500 test wickets against West Indies in the coming series. He still has a lot to offer to this English side.

England still have a lot of questions to answer. Who will replace Jennings and Malan? Should Dawson be given another go? How good will Toby Roland-Jones be in Australia? What is the ideal spot for Johnny Bairstow to bat? There are 3 holes in top 5 which needs to be rectified before Ashes in this summer.

This series win will boost their confidence and hopefully they find all their answers in due time.

England: Consistently inconsistent

Finally, the humiliation is over. If you are an England fan, you will be relieved that the game didn't go to fifth day. It was almost comforting. The whole batting looked like a comedy show. Dean Elgar said last night that Proteas didn't want an easy win. Maybe England heard them. As if they were so desperate to prove him wrong, they didn't show any fight at all. Total surrender. Complete submission.

England have been amazing in terms of inconsistency for the last two years in test cricket. Since 2015, this is the 8th occasion on which they have lost a test match in the very next match after pulling off a victory. They have now lost 6 of their last 8 test matches. In this match, their combined two innings spanned for 96.1 overs, while South Africa's first innings stretched for 96.2 overs. You don't win many games by batting for less than 100 overs. They didn't last 2 sessions in second innings. Everyone talks about how much talent is there in this England's side. It annoys me a lot. Brutal fact: They don't deliver when it matters.

Their team selection is comical. Let me highlight more over this.

According to coach Trevor Bayliss, Moeen is England's 2nd best and Dawson is the best spinner in the country. (I doubt even Dawson's mum will agree with that). Moeen has picked 14 wickets and won Lord's test for his country. Dawson got a pair there. Dawson doesn't look threatening with ball, that is totally fine. He was picked over Rashid as he is miserly in giving away runs. The problem is : In both the tests, he gave away too many vital runs. His batting was bonus, which ran out of luck against world class Proteas attack. (He got 66* on debut against India, which led to his preference over Crane and Rashid). Sometimes, I wonder what would a team with 11 Dawsons look like (Imagine the 12th man is Dawson too). What in almighty God's name they are gonna do? Can't bowl. Can't bat. Fields at innocuous positions. By his reaction on the field, it seems as if even he has no idea why he is getting picked.

Coming to Gary Ballance. He has no idea what he is doing in the middle of a ground with a wooden thing in his hand. There is no doubt that he earned his England recall by scoring oodle of runs in county championship. (For the record, he was averaging almost 100 when he got picked). But, on international arena, he is just so clueless. His technique continues to betray him. He doesn't know whether to go forward or on back-foot. He was standing almost pacific ocean deep in his crease even when Vernon was pitching the ball so full. By the time he makes a decision, a whole parliament session is over. His weak craftsmanship against full balls were exposed dangerously in 2015 Ashes by Australian pair of Mitchells. He has already been dropped twice for his poor technique, I doubt there will be any way back for him to live this dream once another sack happens. He needs to pull up his socks and if he is lucky enough to be included for Oval test, that will be probably his last chance. He needs some vital runs if he wants a ticket for Brisbane later this year.

Opening pair: I can write a whole romantic novel over Cooky's long search for true love in the form of opening partner. Ever since Strauss retired, England have tried 11 openers (if my memory serves me right in this old age). Still everyone comes, hangs out for a while and then Cook is left frustrated. It is not that the openers England have tried have not been given long runs. Just the mere fact that the gap between County championship and international cricket is proving out to be too much to adjust. I liked young Hameed. It just disappoints me so much that he got injured when he was in sublime touch against India. This county season, his form has been abysmal. I really adored Keaton Jennings. From Durham. Good mates with Woody, Stokes and Collingwood speaks highly of him. His father has been an amazing influence over his cricket. He looks good when he bats. Getting a ton in your first game on Indian soil is something not many players achieve. Sadly, even he is turning out to be just another heartache. It is not that he has played very badly in this series. But, he seems to be getting too many unplayable balls, which indicates that he is not international quality yet.

Mark wood is proving out to be too one-dimensional. In white ball cricket, he is the go-to bowler for Eoin Morgan. He can run, bowl fast and reverse swing the old ball. A perfect weapon for any captain. But, I doubt he is yet ready for the rigors of test cricket. He last played a test in 2015 and has never played two tests back to back. He is averaging 197 in this series. One wicket in two games. That wicket too of JP Duminy. It is simply not good enough. Perhaps it was a mistake to include him for Trent Bridge. Maybe Toby Roland Jones should have been given his debut here. Well. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn't it? Everything looks so clear when we look at things in retrospect. Ah!

Another issue which is hampering their progress is : There are just too many all-rounders in this England team. Once Woakes returns, there will be 8 players in this line-up who can ball and 10 players who have got a first class hundred. It is certainly nice to have this cushion of skill in your team, but right now it is backfiring for England. Moeen doesn't know what his role is. He was not given the ball till first 45 overs in first innings and later he was the one who picked 4 wickets in second innings. Either he is doing too much, or nothing at all. Stokes: normally a helluva cricketer when on song. This series, he has not done justice either with bat or ball. He is bowling too many release balls at the moment. Bairstow, Root, Cook, Anderson and Broad have looked good, but haven't found much support from others.

This defeat won't be hard for any England's cricket fan to swallow. After all, they have been doing this for a while now. They are getting used to this. Anyway, tomorrow we have England and South Africa ODI game in Women's world cup. I can only expect that Knight's team haven't watched the highlights of this game and put on a better show.

Well. Enough already. Like it is: With England cricket, happiness is a rare episode in the general drama of pain. Let us await what unfolds in Oval.

An Apology Letter to AB

Dear AB

The whole purpose of writing this letter is to formally apologize to you for not considering you as the best batsman in the world. Throughout last years, I failed to see your greatness over and over again. I was perhaps blinded, I was under illusion, I was envious, I was irrationally wrong.

I know there has always been a personal battle of me with myself every time I doubted your abilities to turn the game on your own. I exaggerated the times you failed and skimmed over the times you were exceptional. Numerous times, I have been arguing with anyone I could find to tell that you aren't the best. I am so so sorry. Today, I fully commit to the fact that you are the best batsman the world has produced and it will remain so.

It all started perhaps in 2007 world cup in West Indies. You got 4 ducks in the world cup ( A world record). I seemed to remember those ducks and forgot the fact that you still managed a batting average of more than 40 in that world cup. You used to hurt India and England a lot, which I despised so much. It all began there. Every time, I used to admire some team, you used to destroy them. It all compounded slowly and I kept on getting farther and farther from you. I hardly liked any team you used to play for. South Africa, they come so low down in my priority list. Delhi Daredevils: They were okay, but I never quite loved them. Royal Challengers Bangalore: I don't like them at all. CPL: It started recently only and I had already developed so much envy for you. I never really connected myself to you at any level and I always used to pray for your failures. I loved Tendulkar, Sehwag, Ponting, Pietersen, McCullum, Sangakkara, Kallis, Dravid, Cook, Clarke etc. and just the mere thought that some youngster from a rural town of Pretoria can match these legends was so scary to me. I was obsessed with those players so much that I couldn't see the light inside you for so many years. I wanted you to fail so that those players remain superstars to me. I was wrong. Greatness can be achieved by anyone, who believes. You proved it to me. Despite hating you so much for so many years, there always has been an idea at the back of my mind that you have pushed Cricket to an entirely different level. I secretly admired your greatness although never showed it to anyone. I believe that If anyone wants to see the future of cricket, they don't have to look anyone beyond you.

I have been watching this most beautiful game of all: Cricket for last 16 years of my life. Never saw anything like you, and it is very less likely that I will see anything like you in future. When I watch you doing miracles with such ease, all other players look so silly. It is ridiculous to even think about the fact that they all are paid to do the same which you do remarkably easily. You are undoubtedly the greatest batsman of our times. Never seen anyone as inspirational as you. I had a dream once that there were interplanetary cricket matches going on and you went to represent earth.

I used to hate the way you used to lift the bat in hockey style. "Someone who lifts bat like that. Nah. They must fail. This ain't hockey, mate. That is not proper batsman-ship.", this is the conversation I used to have with myself. Very recently, I came to know that it came from you playing hockey in school tournaments. I always used to find faults in your technique. He can't do this, He can't do that, he can't play quality spin, he can't play reverse swing, he can't open etc. As mentioned, I have never been more wrong in my life. You are an epitome of greatness. You have extra-ordinary self-belief. I used to get mad when you scored runs. But, truth be told, I used to be angry at myself for not believing in you. It was as if I was at a crossroads. I just couldn't accept the truth that you are better than the rest. I used to hate a version of you before 2008 and kept on hating that person until recently. I have spent so many nights thinking "Where exactly is his weak zone? Why are bowlers so dumb now-a-days? Why can't they figure out a way to get him out?" As it turns out, there is hardly any weak zone and bowlers are certainly good. It is just the plain, uncomplicated truth that they are up against the invincible. They have no way out.

In Cricket, numbers will tell the story. Almost always. 2008, it was. It was a year of self-discovery for you. Till 2008, you had a test batting average of 36 in 33 test matches with 3 centuries. Since 2008, you have averaged 58 in further 73 test matches with additional 18 test centuries. In Odis, you were averaging 36 in 59 One day internationals with 3 centuries till 2008. After 2008, you have averaged 63 in a further 141 Odis with additional 21 centuries.  In cricket, stats are all right, but they never tell the full story. These numbers will never capture precisely your heroics at Wanderers on Jan 18, 2015. They can't tell the brutality of 162 Not Out in world cup 2015. You became South Africa's highest individual scorer for 2 years when you made 278* against Pakistan in their own home. Adelaide Heroics to save the game. Since 2008, none comes close to being a complete batsman as you have been. Both in Tests and Odis combined.

The goal of this letter is to confess my illogical hatred for you throughout these years. I had no idea what you went through. I just thought of you as another brash, arrogant youngster who just smacks the ball mindlessly. I want to say sorry for every single individual time I prayed for your failures. You are truly an inspiration to me and to so many people all across the world. While batting, You can be an artist and a butcher at the same time. You destroy the bowling attack in a few minutes. I have often felt like bowlers don't mind going out of the park if it comes from you. It gives a sense of co-operation. It is ridiculous. But, it is the truth. You are as close to cricketing greatness as it gets. Your batting is so crisp, so pure. It is so hard not to get mesmerized by it. Despite your immense cricketing abilities, hardly I have seen someone so humble as you have been. You are a great batsman and an even better human being. You have always worn your heart on your sleeves. A proud South-African.

When you come out to bat, it opens up the world of possibilities. Every eye watching cricket just lits up. The world starts to wait for the next delivery. The ball can go in any direction for a six. All 360 degrees possible. There is no minus point in your batting. You can bend the laws of nature, of physics, of time. I have a feeling that you can bat and make hundreds at Moon, Mars or anywhere else where mankind can imagine to go.

Coming back to present, I have been blessed to have watched you bat in your 100th test at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. Today, I feel sad that you couldn't get a 100 there despite coming so close. I was a little worried at that time that you will bat India out of the game. Sorry. On the other hand, I feel so lucky to have spent 2 years of my life in Bangalore. A city, which loves you so so much. It is your home far away from home and watching you bat has certainly been one of the highlights of my cricketing life.

I have a request to make AB: Please continue playing cricket as long as you can. You were born for it. I have the same dream as you that you will run out the last batsman while fielding at covers in an ICC world cup finale to give Proteas their first world cup ever. I hope it happens. I will be so glad for you. I will cheer for you. I will have tears of happiness for you. Some day. Yeah, One day AB.

--From a true Fan
Pawan.