Finest Ashes pace numbers since 1890

Australia's fast bowlers averaged 18.35 runs per wicket, which is the best by either team in an Ashes series since 1890. Read on for more stats highlights

At tea on the opening day of the Gabba Test, Australia, after choosing to bat, had been reduced to 153 for 6. For all those who had witnessed Australia's top-order struggles in England only a few months earlier, this seemed to be a familiar story repeating itself all over again. Then, Brad Haddin and Mitchell Johnson, quite fittingly, put together Australia's first significant statement of the series, adding 114 for the seventh wicket, before Johnson started working over England's batsmen. Over the next six weeks, the pair scripted many more game-changing performances that so thoroughly demoralised England that it seems scarcely believable that the visitors would've envisaged being 1-0 up from their tea-time position on that opening day in Brisbane.

The difference between the two Ashes contests held over the last six months is stark. England won 3-0 at home, but the Australians were at pains to explain that the difference between the two teams wasn't as much as that. The series stats suggest as much as well: England averaged only about three runs more per wicket than Australia, and scored one more century. With the ball, they took four more wickets than Australia's bowlers. The brand of cricket they played was attritional; it had served them well over the last few years, and it worked here too: they scored their runs much slower than Australia, but they batted longer, gave their bowlers longer periods of rest, and won all the key moments. It didn't feel like 3-0, but it was.

In Australia, it felt like 5-0, and it was 5-0. The stats reveal the gulf between the two sides. Australia scored ten centuries, which equals their record for an Ashes campaign, while England had one, their lowest in an Ashes series in the last 40 years. England averaged 21.58 runs per wicket with the bat, their lowest Ashes average since 1950-51, while Australia's average was a healthy 41.41.

The Australian batting wasn't always top-class, but the bowling was terrifying - they took 100 wickets for the first time in a five-Test Ashes series, and the strike rate was their best in an Ashes series since 1896. The bowlers took 99 wickets (one was a run-out) at the rate of one every 45.2 balls (while the overall strike rate for the team was 44.8 balls per wicket); the last time they bettered that was in 1896. Australia's run rate of 3.75 illustrates the aggressive brand of cricket they played, compared to England's run rate of 2.99 when they won at home last year.

Ashes 2013-14 series stats

Team	Runs scored	Wkts lost	Average	100s/ 50s	Run rate	Bowl SR
Australia	3189	77	41.41	10/ 15	3.75	44.8
England	2158	100	21.58	1/ 10	2.89	66.3

Ashes 2013 series stats

Team	Runs scored	Wkts lost	Average	100s/ 50s	Run rate	Bowl SR
Australia	2735	89	30.73	4/ 13	3.37	67.4
England	2856	85	33.60	5/ 13	2.99	54.7

Aussie domination
In this series, the ratio of batting averages of the two teams was 1.92: Australia's average of 41.41 runs per wicket was 1.92 times England's average of 21.58. In the entire history of Ashes contests (excluding one-off Tests), this is the fourth-largest ratio between the averages of the winning and losing teams. The highest was in 1886, when England won a three-Test series 3-0; they averaged 31.02 with the bat and 13.20 with the ball. Australia take up the next four positions in the table below, with all those wins happening in the last 25 years. In 1989, when they won 4-0 in England, they averaged 57.86 with the bat and 27.71 with the ball; in the 2006-07 clean sweep, they averaged 52.77 with the bat and 26.35 with the ball, a ratio of 2.00. When England won 3-1 in Australia on their last tour, their batting average was 1.75 times the bowling average.

In their only other 5-0 Ashes triumph, in 1920-21, Australia's ratio was 1.63 (batting average 46.13, bowling average 28.35).

Highest ratio of averages in an Ashes series*

Series	Win team	Bat ave	Los team	Bat ave	Ratio	Series margin
1886, in England	England	31.02	Australia	13.20	2.35	3-0
1989, in England	Australia	57.86	England	27.71	2.09	4-0
2006-07, in Australia	Australia	52.77	England	26.35	2.00	5-0
2013-14, in Australia	Australia	41.41	England	21.58	1.92	5-0
2001, in England	Australia	49.11	England	26.44	1.86	4-1
1888, in England	England	15.10	Australia	8.45	1.79	2-1
2010-11, in Australia	England	51.14	Australia	29.23	1.75	3-1
1946-47, in Australia	Australia	52.71	England	30.81	1.71	3-0

The Haddin factor
Australia were by far the superior team, but one aspect of their game that wasn't convincing was their top-order batting. Repeatedly they were five down for not too many, and needed Brad Haddin and the lower order to bail them out. Australia's scores at five down in their first innings in the five Tests were as follows: 100, 257, 143, 112 and 97; except in Adelaide, their top order struggled every time. Yet, England failed to drive home the advantage, as Haddin found at least one batting partner each time to rescue the team.

The table below lists the averages of Australia's batsmen overall in the series, and in the first innings. The table shows Haddin's contributions in even better light, as 407 of his 493 runs came in the first innings, when England were still competitive in the match. Haddin scored at least a half-century each time he batted in the first innings: his scores were 94, 118, 55, 65, and 75 - 407 runs at 81.40. Steven Smith was the other batsman whose first-innings contributions stood out: he scored two centuries in the series, and both were in the first innings. His failures were in the second innings when Australia were generally under less pressure.

However, most of the other Australian batsmen struggled in the first innings. Five of them averaged less than 40, including Michael Clarke, whose 148 in Adelaide was his only meaningful first-innings contribution. David Warner, Chris Rogers and Shane Watson all averaged less than 35, while George Bailey had a shocker, aggregating 64 in five innings.

Of the ten centuries Australia scored, six were in the second innings, including two each by Warner and Rogers, and one by Watson. Given that Australia had a first-innings lead of 130-plus in four of the five Tests, the one instance where second-innings runs were scored under pressure was in Melbourne, when Australia chased a target of 231 and won comfortably, with Rogers getting 116 and Watson getting 83.

England's batsmen were poor throughout, but Michael Carberry did much better than the rest in the first innings, scoring 181 runs at 36.20; in the second innings, he scored only 100 in five tries. Kevin Pietersen managed only 115 in the first innings, while Ian Bell scored 121 - though he was unbeaten once, in Adelaide.

Australia's batsmen in the series

	1st innings			Both innings
Batsman	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Brad Haddin	407	81.40	1/ 4	493	61.62	1/ 5
Steven Smith	282	56.40	2/ 0	327	40.87	2/ 0
Michael Clarke	193	38.60	1/ 0	363	40.33	2/ 0
David Warner	163	32.60	0/ 1	523	58.11	2/ 2
Chris Rogers	156	31.20	0/ 2	463	46.30	2/ 3
Shane Watson	144	28.80	0/ 1	345	38.33	1/ 2
George Bailey	64	12.80	0/ 1	183	26.14	0/ 1

England's batsmen in the series

	1st innings			Both innings
Batsman	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s	Runs	Average	100s/ 50s
Michael Carberry	181	36.20	0/ 1	281	28.10	0/ 1
Alastair Cook	122	24.40	0/ 1	246	24.60	0/ 3
Ian Bell	121	30.25	0/ 1	235	26.11	0/ 2
Kevin Pietersen	115	23.00	0/ 1	294	29.40	0/ 2
Ben Stokes	80	20.00	0/ 0	279	34.87	1/ 0
Joe Root	45	11.25	0/ 0	192	27.42	0/ 1

Australia's lower-order rescue acts
The partnership stat further illustrates how even things were between the two teams through the first half of their first innings. It also shows clearly the areas Australia will need to address before what's likely to be a tough tour to South Africa. In their first innings, their average stand for the first wicket was 20, for the third 21.80, for the fourth 23.20 and for the fifth 23.80; among the top five wickets partnerships in the first innings, only the second one made substantial runs. The opening stands in the first innings were 12, 34, 13, 19 and 22, numbers that don't inspire confidence when the next challenge will be against Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel.

England's opening partnerships in the first innings were actually more substantial than Australia's: in Perth, Cook and Carberry added 85, before the rest of the batting crumbled. Add up the average stands for the first five wickets in the first innings, and Australia's score is 142 for 5; England's 124 for 5. Not a whole lot to choose between the teams there.

Look down the second half of the partnership tables, though, and huge differences emerge. Australia's average stand for the sixth wicket in their first innings was 98.80; the sum of the average stands for the last five wickets for England was 70. Australia's last five, on average, added 220. That 150-run difference completely altered the balance of the game.

Australia's sixth-wicket stands in the first innings were 32, 200, 124, 10 and 128, with Haddin being a common factor in all those stands. Out of nine century stands for Australia in the series, Haddin was involved in four. Out of the 1780 runs that Australia scored in their first innings over the entire series, 811 runs - or 45.56% - were scored when Haddin was at the crease. That's a whopping percentage of runs for a No. 7 batsman to be involved in, and it made all the difference between things being even after the first innings, and Australia getting a huge advantage at the halfway mark.

England, on the other hand, were hurt badly by the lack of significant contributions down the order. Also, the top order got starts, but failed to push on towards substantial scores: there were only two 50-plus stands in the first innings, but seven partnerships between 44 and 49. In the second innings, England had one century stand - their only one of the entire series - and six half-century partnerships, but it was still too little too late.

One century stand is also England's poorest effort in an Ashes campaign since 1950-51. In the 2013 series in England, both teams had six century stands.

Average partnerships for Australia

	1st innings		Both innings
Wkt	Average	100/ 50 stands	Average	100/ 50 stands
1st	20.00	0/ 0	41.90	1/ 2
2nd	53.00	1/ 1	45.50	2/ 1
3rd	21.80	0/ 1	47.11	1/ 2
4th	23.20	0/ 0	36.12	0/ 2
5th	23.80	0/ 1	38.75	1/ 2
6th	98.80	3/ 0	69.12	3/ 0
7th	52.60	1/ 1	55.28	1/ 2
8th	21.40	0/ 1	20.66	0/ 1
9th	16.20	0/ 0	15.33	0/ 0
10th	31.50	0/ 0	27.20	0/ 0

Average partnerships for England

	1st innings		Both innings
Wkt	Average	100/ 50 stands	Average	100/ 50 stands
1st	35.20	0/ 1	25.00	0/ 2
2nd	26.00	0/ 0	27.10	0/ 1
3rd	19.60	0/ 0	30.50	1/ 1
4th	26.00	0/ 1	27.60	0/ 2
5th	17.00	0/ 0	27.10	0/ 1
6th	12.20	0/ 0	22.30	0/ 1
7th	14.80	0/ 0	16.90	0/ 0
8th	8.80	0/ 0	13.70	0/ 0
9th	9.40	0/ 0	11.00	0/ 0
10th	24.80	0/ 0	14.60	0/ 0

Pace like fire
In the 2013 series in England, there had been little to choose between the pace attacks of England and Australia. Australia's fast bowlers took more wickets - 69 to 58 - but the averages were almost the same - 30.04 for Australia, 30.89 for England.

In the return series, led by a rampaging Mitchell Johnson, Australia's pace attack was all over England's batsmen. Of the 99 wickets taken by Australia's bowlers, 79 went to their fast bowlers, at an average of 18.35 runs, and a strike rate of 42.4 balls per wicket. England's fast bowlers didn't do too badly, averaging a respectable 34.86, but their batting was so poor that they didn't stand a chance. The average of 18.35 is the best by an Australian pace attack in an Ashes series since 1890, when they averaged 18.28 and took 14 wickets in two Tests. In fact, it's the best by the pace attack of either team in an Ashes series since 1890.

In the first innings, especially, Australia's quick men were unstoppable. Johnson took 21 wickets at 12.33, Ryan Harris 11 at 17.27, and Peter Siddle nine at 18.55. England didn't do too badly in the first innings either: Stuart Broad's 17 wickets cost 22.88 each, Anderson's 10 came at 34.60 and Ben Stokes took 10 at 27.80, but then Australia's first-innings bowling was so strong, and England's batting so feeble, that by the time the second innings came along, Australia already had such a big lead and England's bowlers had had so little time to put their feet up, that the second innings was a no-contest.

In the second innings, Anderson took just four wickets and each of them cost him 67.25 runs, while Broad's four wickets cost him 47.25 each. Johnson, meanwhile, took 16 second-wickets at 16.12.

England's spin department did them no favours either. That was a battle they had won convincingly in the home series, but in Australia, Nathan Lyon completely outbowled England's spinners: Australia's spin accounted for 20 wickets at 30.80, while England's took 14 at 72.42. In the second innings, when the pitches started helping spinners more, Lyon proved quite a handful, but England's spinners were completely ineffective, and the match situations and lack of pressure on the Australian batsmen didn't help either.

How the bowling attacks compared

	1st innings			2nd innings
	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	Wickets	Average	Strike rate
Aus - pace	44	15.45	38.9	35	22.00	46.9
Eng - pace	41	29.34	54.7	19	46.78	67.7
Aus - spin	6	40.67	82.3	14	26.57	45.0
Eng - spin	6	89.16	143.0	8	59.87	89.1

The head-to-head battles

Johnson dominated almost all the England batsmen right through the series, but the one batsman who withstood his onslaught and didn't get out to him even once was Ian Bell: in 98 balls Bell scored 48 runs without being out. However, the Australian attack worked as a pack, and if Johnson didn't have Bell's number, then Harris and Siddle did: both dismissed Bell three times each, and gave very little away.

Siddle took the least wickets among Australia's three fast bowlers, but did wonderfully against England's two main middle-order batsmen, Bell and Pietersen. Both scored at less than two runs per over against him, which kept up the pressure on England's batsmen and ensured that there were no easy runs on offer at any stage of the innings. Shane Watson took only four wickets in the series, but three of those were of Carberry's, who averaged five against him. There was thus at least one Australian bowler who had the wood on each of England's top-order batsmen.

England batsmen v Australian bowlers

Batsman	Bowler	Runs	Balls	Dismissals	Average
Ian Bell	Mitchell Johnson	48	98	0	-
Alastair Cook	Mitchell Johnson	73	128	4	18.25
Stuart Broad	Mitchell Johnson	25	56	4	6.25
Ian Bell	Peter Siddle	31	102	3	10.33
Ian Bell	Ryan Harris	64	132	3	21.33
Michael Carberry	Shane Watson	15	41	3	5.00
Michael Carberry	Mitchell Johnson	66	146	3	22.00
Kevin Pietersen	Peter Siddle	72	218	3	24.00
Kevin Pietersen	Ryan Harris	52	114	3	17.33

England's bowlers had a few head-to-head battles to cherish - like Broad's domination of George Bailey and Anderson's successes against Watson - but they weren't nearly enough in a five-match series.

Rogers scored only 27 runs from 107 balls off Graeme Swann, but handled the pace of Stokes and Anderson far more comfortably. Haddin won most of his battles against England's bowlers, averaging 108 against Anderson, 76 against Broad, and not falling once to Swann or Panesar.

Australian batsmen v England bowlers

Batsman	Bowler	Runs	Balls	Dismissals	Average
George Bailey	Stuart Broad	36	73	4	9.00
Shane Watson	James Anderson	71	130	4	17.75
David Warner	Stuart Broad	136	153	4	34.00
Michael Clarke	Ben Stokes	46	98	3	15.33
Brad Haddin	James Anderson	108	126	1	108.00
Brad Haddin	Stuart Broad	76	126	1	76.00
Chris Rogers	James Anderson	98	262	1	98.00
Chris Rogers	Ben Stokes	124	169	1	124.00
Brad Haddin	Swann+Panesar	118	175	0	-

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Manoj Tiwary not fit for Bengal's quarter-final

Manoj Tiwary, the Bengal batsman, will not be fit in time to play his team's Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Railways, which begins on January 8. Tiwary, who is recovering from a knee injury, was named as the 17th member of the Bengal squad, in anticipation of him being declared fit.

Tiwary is having his fitness assessed at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore, but has not ruled out making a comeback in the semis, should Bengal progress.

"The [NCA] physio told me that I need to have at least four to five running sessions, which will be an indicator of how much strength has returned in my knees," Tiwary told PTI. "Today, there wasn't any fitness test but only fitness assessment. As of now I am not available for the quarter-final. I will only make a comeback when I am fully match-fit."

Tiwary was not under too much duress batting in the nets but said his footwork and running between the wickets could suffer if he returns at this point. "There wasn't any discomfort [in the nets] as such, but some of the little things still need to be assessed. I have batted against the spinners but I haven't really used my feet against them at the nets.

"Also, there is running between the wickets where you have to swiftly turn for twos and threes. During the turning, there would be pressure on the knees. The physio needs to assess how my knees are holding up during that pressure. I am keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that I will pass the fitness test and be available if Bengal qualify for the semi-final."

Tiwary has undergone two surgeries on his knee, with the injury keeping him out of action for the second half of 2013. He has suffered a succession of injuries of late: he was sidelined after injuring his back in the Ranji Trophy in December 2012 and hurt his shoulder during the Vijay Hazare Trophy in March 2013, just a month after returning to competitive cricket. He was also out of action for week in the IPL 2013 due to a bruised hand. Injuries have also hampered his international career, particularly the shoulder problem he picked up at practice in Bangladesh in mid-2007, on the eve of what would have been his India debut.

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Sammy ruled out of T20 series

Darren Sammy, West Indies' Twenty20 captain, has been ruled out of the two T20 matches against New Zealand later his month due to his hamstring injury. Dwayne Bravo, the one-day captain, will lead the side that still will not include Chris Gayle who has yet to recover from his hamstring problem.

Sammy suffered his injury when he was running around a damp outfield in Queenstown before the third ODI. He will remain with the squad to aid the rehabilitation and his place has been taken by left-arm spinner Nikita Miller. "Darren is undergoing treatment and should be fit to return to playing duties in time for the Regional Super50 Tournament which starts later this month in Trinidad," said West Indies team physiotherapist C.J. Clark.

West Indies had previously announced that three additional players - Andre Fletcher, Andre Russell and Samuel Badree - would be joining the squad in New Zealand and Russell, the allrounder, will be considered for selection for the final ODI in Hamilton.

West Indies' squad has been severely depleted in recent weeks and for the Nelson one-dayer they were selecting from just 12 fit players. Along with the absent Gayle and injured Sammy, Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo have flown home and Ravi Rampaul suffered a broken finger although he remains on the tour. From what would be a first-choice team, Kemar Roach and Kieran Pollard are also missing - Pollard is still recovering from a knee injury.

New Zealand, meanwhile have named the same squad for the T20 series that has competed in the one-day matches. That means a very different side will take the field compared to the experimental XI that faced Sri Lanka in Pallekele during November; only five of that team are in the full-strength squad of 14.

"We are keen to keep this group together but are mindful of the strong performances from a number of other players including Hamish Rutherford, and Anton Devcich," Bruce Edgar, the national selector, said. "We are fortunate to be in a position to have a range of quality players to choose from."

New Zealand Brendon McCullum (capt), Corey Anderson, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nathan McCullum, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, James Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor

West Indies Dwayne Bravo (capt), Samuel Badree, Tino Best, Johnson Charles, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher, Jason Holder, Nikita Miller, Sunil Narine, Kieran Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Chadwick Walton

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Pietersen targets next Ashes

Kevin Pietersen has reiterated his desire to keep playing for England and wants to help regain the Ashes in 2015.

There has been much speculation during the 5-0 whitewash in Australia that Pietersen will end his international career. The man himself has always insisted he wants to continuing playing and has often spoken about a target of 10,000 Test runs - he currently stands on 8181 after a disappointing return of 294 runs at 29.40 in Australia, although that still made him England's leading run-scorer.

"Very disappointed to lose 5-0, and not to score more runs personally. Tough tour against a top class team." he said on Twitter. "I want to thank all the England fans for their terrific support. And I'm determined to help regain the Ashes in 2015."

Part of the debate around Pietersen's future stems from his fitness; he needed an injection in his knee before the Ashes began having been forced home from the tour of New Zealand in March and then did not play again until shortly before the Ashes in England.

His workload is being carefully managed by the ECB, including being rested from the one-day series against Australia which starts in Melbourne on Sunday. It remains to be seen whether he will play on the short tour of West Indies which starts at the end of February although would be expected to feature at the World Twenty20 despite only playing once for England in that format for almost two years.

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Lumb fifty steers Sixers home

Sydney Sixers 4 for 150 (Lumb 54) beat Adelaide Strikers 7 for 149 (Shakib 46, Reardon 43, Hazlewood 3-16) by six wickets
Scorecard

Lumb leads Sixers to victory over Strikers

A valuable half-century by Michael Lumb and some late hitting from Marcus North helped the Sydney Sixers ascend to second on the BBL table at the expense of the Adelaide Strikers. A lacklustre batting display and some missed opportunities in the field cost the Strikers badly as the Sixers were able to chase down 150 with six wickets in hand and five balls to spare.

The scorecard suggests a well-controlled chase but there were a number of wobbly moments. Shaun Tait bowled a fearsome over early on when he rearranged Lumb's grille with a searing bouncer first ball. The fourth ball of the over found Nic Maddinson in no position to execute a pull shot and skied a catch to square leg.

Moises Henriques lofted Tait back over his head in his second over to get the chase moving but was fortunate to survive the next ball. He skied a top edge towards third man and Michael Klinger ran back from slip but failed to grasp the chance. Henriques found the boundary twice more in the over to further dampen the mood.

Lumb, with a brand new helmet, followed suit flicking Michael Neser over deep backward square for six. But he too survived a chance with Neser unable to hang onto a sharp return catch.

A passing shower caused an interruption so brief the players had hardly reached the rope before they were called back. Shakib Al Hasan, on his BBL debut, used the moisture on the pitch to skid one through and trap Henriques in front with his side still 95 runs adrift. But the rain did not aid the leg spin of Adam Zampa. Lumb clubbed him into the stands three times to ease any tension for the Sixers.

Lumb cruised to fifty but his soft dismissal caused another shift in momentum. Marcus North and Ravi Bopara managed just 15 runs from the next 20 deliveries to keep the Strikers in the game. But North gambled against Nathan Reardon in the 17th over. He skipped down the track and clipped him into the stands for six. North went again next ball and thought Klinger got hands to it on the deep square leg rope, it was parried over for six more. North fell two balls later but Bopara and Jordan Silk were able to finish the job.

The major cause of Strikers' defeat, however, was owed to a disappointing batting display. They slumped to 4 for 32 inside eight overs after winning the toss and batting first.

It was left to Reardon and Shakib to mount a rear guard. The pair put together an entertaining 80-run stand to set up a defendable target. It could have been more had Shakib not picked out Steve O'Keefe on the midwicket boundary with a powerful strike and Reardon not run himself out with 10 balls to go.

Josh Hazlewood was the star with the ball picking up 3 for 16 from four miserly overs, but he had terrific support from Brett Lee and the spin of O'Keefe and North.

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FAQs: The Rajasthan Cricket Association election case

The Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case involving former BCCI treasurer Kishore Rungta on January 6, during the course of which the results of the Rajasthan Cricket Association elections, which were held on December 19, may be announced. The matter assumes significance because the BCCI has impleaded itself in the Rungta case, since it has challenged Lalit Modi standing for the RCA elections.

Why are the RCA elections important?
The matter assumes importance because Lalit Modi, the former IPL chairman, who was expelled by the BCCI in September, is a strong favourite to win the RCA president's post. If elected, Modi would likely be the first person to openly oppose the ruling group in the BCCI, a body for which everyone else has been toeing the line. Modi earlier served as RCA president from 2005 to 2009. It is understood that only three district associations voted against Modi during the elections.

How did Modi sidestep the BCCI ban to fight the RCA polls?
Modi entered the RCA polls through the door made open to him by the Rajasthan Sports Act, which governs the RCA's constitution.

What is the Rungta case about?
In 2005, Modi defeated then RCA president Kishore Rungta by a margin of just one vote. Rungta accused Modi of wrongdoing by bringing in a new law in the RCA constitution, which abolished the voting rights of the individual members and allowed only the district associations to vote. Since then Rungta has been challenging the law. Rungta approached the Rajasthan High Court in 2005 but his application was rejected. He then went to the Supreme Court in 2007 with a special leave petition (SLP).

Why is the Supreme Court playing the adjudicator in the election?
Two observers were appointed since Rungta had made an application that the elections be held under the supervision of the Supreme Court. Retired Supreme Court judge NM Kasliwal, who has served as an observer in the past three elections, was once again appointed in the same capacity this time, too, to ensure fair elections. Kasliwal's main job was to validate all nominations, including Modi's.

The court also made it clear the votes would be secured in a sealed envelope and possibly opened on January 6. Earlier it was expected that the court would deliver its verdict on January 6, but now with the BCCI's petition in the Supreme Court, the decision may be deferred.

What is the BCCI's position on Modi's candidature?
Even though the RCA is governed by the state sports act, it is also a BCCI affiliate and enjoys all the benefits, including financial aid. This resulted in a tangle. After threatening to ban RCA from all of BCCI-organised tournaments, including the Ranji Trophy, the BCCI deliberated the matter in a working committee meeting in late December. Even though it decided to protect interest of all the cricketers in the state, the BCCI has moved the Supreme Court against Modi's candidature and possible election.

What happens if court rules in favour of Rungta?
The RCA elections become null and void and a new election would need to take place. Modi has the choice to contest the elections once again, unless the court rules in favour of the BCCI interlocutory application.

What happens if court rules in favour of Modi?
Modi, provided he wins the post of RCA president as is expected, would be eligible to represent the RCA in important BCCI meetings, including the AGM and SGMs. That is not likely to happen soon, though, since Modi has been residing in London for almost four years now and the RCA is not a BCCI working committee member at the moment. However, Modi lobby's presence may give a fillip to whispers of dissent against BCCI president N Srinivasan, who is Modi's bitter enemy.

What else can happen?
If the Supreme Court rules in favour of the BCCI interlocutory application then Modi cannot be elected as RCA administrator. Another situation could be, if Modi - who is expected to come out trumps in the election - is found ineligible to hold a RCA post by the court, the court could possibly appoint an ad hoc committee to run the RCA till the it delivers a judgement in the Rungta SLP.

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Woakes added to one-day squad

Chris Woakes has been added to the England limited-overs squad for the series against Australia.

Woakes, the 24-year-old Warwickshire all-rounder, has recently returned from a stint representing Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash, but was left out of the original limited-overs squads and named as captain of the Lions squad to tour Sri Lanka from the end of January.

He played the last of his 13 ODIs in June, with England appearing to conclude that he was a better red ball than white ball cricketer. While he claimed 6 for 45 in just his second ODI in Brisbane on the 2010-11 tour of Australia, his economy rate of 5.66 has not been good enough to keep him in the side and in his last two games, both against New Zealand, he conceded 94 from 13 overs.

A strong fielder and batsman - his first-class batting average is only a fraction below 40 - he has a calm character long admired by the England management and has won another opportunity to prove his value at international level. Woakes made his Test debut against Australia, at The Oval, in August

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The Ashes fractions, and the successors to Kallis and Tendulkar

The year just gone by has been one of surprises and swings of fortune

Sambit Bal January 6, 2014

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Graeme Swann's retirement leaves a gaping hole in England's armour © Getty Images

About 20 minutes before tea on the third day of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba, a man hollered from high in the member's stand behind the sightscreen: "Cookeeey, give Bailey a single now, will ya."

Given George Bailey's batting partner, Michael Clarke, was on 99 at that point, it would have appeared to be a perfectly straight sentiment. Except, it carried delectable piquancy. Clarke had been dismissed fending off a bouncer in the first innings, and Cook had responded to his arrival in the second innings by gifting singles to his partner so that Stuart Broad could have a crack at him. From Cook, it had felt uncharacteristically cheeky, and to some Australians it had seemed mildly insulting.

But from there the story only headed one way. Clarke had emphatically swatted away the first bouncer from Broad to the midwicket boundary, squirted the next one for another four to fine leg, and grown Australia's ascendancy - gained by a burst of fast bowling of the sort Mitchell Johnson had always been thought capable of - to a decidedly winning position. Who could grudge the Australian fan a good-humoured jibe?

None of this, of course, had been even close to inevitable. England had arrived as favourites to win the Ashes a fourth time running, Australia's batting order was unsettled, and they had been forced to pick their second-choice bowling attack because a promising crop of young fast bowlers had been sidelined by injury. Johnson hadn't played a Test since March and was unlikely to have been picked had all the fast-bowling options been available.

But then, 2013 was that sort of year. It was a year of the unexpected, a year of twists, and a year of the possible.

Blanked out in India and squeezed dry in England, Australia have regained the Ashes with the pomp and swagger of their glory days. His leadership style and commitment to the Australian way questioned before the season, Clarke has led by example and with imagination and is a hero again. Zimbabwe have won a Test against Pakistan; and Pakistan have taken a Test off South Africa. England have tasted glory and despair in a matter of weeks. Nepal have qualified for the World Twenty20. Ishant Sharma won India the Champions Trophy. India's young batsmen have shown the technique, application and hunger for Test-match success not many had given them credit for possessing. South Africa almost chased down 458 at the Wanderers.

And the retirements - who would have seen them coming? Sachin Tendulkar's was the grandest and, given the size of his kingdom, the most stirring. But it was the most expected. Michael Hussey went abruptly, with his desire dimmed; Graeme Swann gave up mid-series, drained and worn out by defeat; and Jacques Kallis perhaps listened to his body. At the heart of it, retiring from sport is a deeply emotional decision. It isn't like retiring from a job that has run its course. It is giving up what you love most, what has defined you and forged your identity; it is about leaving home and stepping into the unknown. Some get the timing right, many don't, but to grudge them their decision would be missing the story.

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Contemporary cricket captains are often accused of chasing the ball. That approach is perhaps reflective of batsman-friendly times, when bowling captains often have had to prey on the patience of batsmen in the absence of assistance from the conditions. Even when England were winning, Cook was often found posting a fielder where the last ball had been played.

But what about us cricket writers? How often do we scramble to catch up, to hurriedly construct a theory to explain an event that has left us befuddled, to appear wise and knowing even when we didn't see it coming? It is our job to make sense of events, but what if we are as confused as anyone else? How long ago was it that the English method - a combination of diligence, planning, efficiency and fortitude - was being held up as the template for sustained success? It wouldn't be outrageous to suggest that the Schofield Report, considered the blueprint for England's success, was scoured through more than once at Cricket Australia's headquarters.

Without doubt, England have looked broken for most of the Ashes series in Australia, but surely not everything about their cricket has turned rotten in the course of a couple of months?

" How long ago was it that the English method was being held up as the template for sustained success? Without doubt, England have looked broken for most of the Ashes series in Australia, but surely not everything about their cricket has turned rotten in the course of a couple of months?

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Conversely, the Australian revival is now credited to them playing a brand of cricket reminiscent of their halcyon years, and Darren Lehman has been hailed as the man who fostered the egalitarian blokeyness that has got Australia playing with renewed fearlessness. Lehmann's tactical gaffes - picking Ashton Agar ahead of Nathan Lyon, batting David Warner in the middle order - have now conveniently receded from memory.

In sport, the truth is often simpler. And in cricket, fractions can make a difference. Australia's aggression in this series, it can be argued, is entirely accidental, because it was almost wholly dependent on a player who rediscovered his zest for bowling not in some Australian academy but in the unlikely environment of the Indian Premiere League. Warner and Brad Haddin often provided the ballast with the bat, but it was Johnson's pace that dramatically altered the tenor and the mood of the series. Australia fed on his raw machismo, and England, their batting mechanism messed up by his missiles, shrank by the day.

The first defining moment in the series came about almost by chance. Johnson started with a leg-side full toss, and his opening spell had lasted only three overs and yielded three fours. Ryan Harris provided the break by drawing an edge from Cook, and Clarke brought back Johnson to test Jonathan Trott's weakness against the short ball. Michael Carberry played out the first 12 balls from Johnson, but when he finally got a crack, Johnson's snarling bouncer found Trott's gloves. Trott survived the rest of the over, walking inside a couple of short balls and playing them down the leg side for runs, but Johnson had found his radar and Trott was palpably edgy. It was minutes before lunch and a race against time for Australia to squeeze in one more Johnson over. England's, particularly Trott's, sole objective at that point was to drag out the next over long enough to be able to retreat to temporary safety.

At this vital juncture of all-out aggression and extreme diffidence, Australia got their lucky break. Peter Siddle finished his over barely seconds before noon, but Aleem Dar took his position to allow Johnson one more over. He slammed it in short, Trott moved inside the line again, and his desperate jab ended feathering it to Haddin. Australia had struck a blow so resounding that the template for the rest of the series was drawn.

Or perhaps there is a simpler explanation for the scorelines in the back-to-back Ashes. Few Test teams are good enough to win away from home. The stats certainly bear this out. In 2013, only two - three counting the neutral venue of Dubai - away Test wins were recorded. Both against and in Zimbabwe.

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The Ashes also saw the return of the Ugly Australian. Some hailed it as a good thing. Cricket had been dull in the series in England. The 3-0 scoreline, it was argued, flattered England. It was suggested that Australia had been too gentle, and incapable of seizing the big moments, as if the two things were related. Back home, Johnson provided the fire, but his team-mates also talked the talk, both on the field and off it. Warner taunted Trott by saying that he had seen fear in his eyes. Clarke was heard over the stump microphone threatening James Anderson with a broken arm.

The cricket world has always been divided over sledging. Some consider it to be against the grain of sport and, in fact, cowardly. Others consider it a legitimate tool in a tough and competitive environment where mental fortitude is tested as much as skills are.

Personally, I don't mind the odd stare and a bit of needle. But not all cricketers have the wit and the sensitivity to manage the line between teasing an opponent and descending into downright crudeness. It was wrong that Clarke got fined, because his comment was captured in isolation. But the whole thing was churlish. Trash-talking is okay in WWE, because the whole thing is fake, but if cricketers came to blows, something about the game would be lost.

Channel 9 later issued an apology to Clarke for a broadcast error, but I'd go the other way and keep the stump mikes on all the time. They were on during the India-South Africa Tests for most of the time and afforded fans an intimate view of the game.

There was MS Dhoni's delightful pep talk and instructions to Ravindra Jadeja; testy, but not ugly, exchanges between former IPL team-mates Dale Steyn and Rohit Sharma; and a charming conversation between Ajinkya Rahane and Ishant Sharma. Running out of partners while trying to prolong India's final innings in Durban, Rahane, alert to the requirement of farming the strike, asked his partner:

"Do ball khelega? [Will you face two balls?]"

"Nahin, ek kheloonga [No, I will play one]."

Rahane played out the fourth ball and took a single off the next.

The notion of privacy on a cricket field is an illusion. Cricket is an outdoor sport, played out before thousands and watched by millions. To be able hear what the players are thinking would be great for the viewers, and if the players wish to make fools of themselves, let them be judged for it.

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Virat Kohli has started a fashion. Legends being hoisted on their team-mates' shoulders has become a standard salute ever since Kohli and his mates carried Tendulkar around Wankhede Stadium in the wake of India's World Cup win in 2011. Tendulkar himself was given the treatment twice more, by his Mumbai team-mates in Lahli in his final Ranji Trophy match, and finally in his farewell Test at the Wankhede. And so the South Africans weren't going to let Jacques Kallis go without a ride after his final Test appearance, in Durban.

India's golden age of batting has ended but it's not all gloom and doom yet © AFP

Tendulkar and Kallis have been the greatest cricketers of their era, and cricket is immeasurably poorer without them. With Tendulkar's departure, India lost the final link to their golden age of batting, and with Kallis gone, South Africa will have to learn the art of playing with 11 men again.

But every departure also grants an opportunity for renewal, and Kohli, who had already taken over the job of churning out one-day hundreds, provided a vision into the future with a first-innings hundred on a tough pitch in Johannesburg that was technically accomplished, temperamentally remarkable, and contained strokes of high pedigree. And in the same Test, Faf du Plessis, batting in Kallis' position, produced a virtuoso final-innings performance that very nearly carried South Africa to a record chase. It was the second time in his brief career that du Plessis had taken his team to safety against impossible odds, which makes him the ideal inheritor for Kallis. If only he could bowl.

Kallis' retirement came as a surprise, but the retirement that will be far more debilitating for his team was Swann's. He didn't get a farewell because he left abruptly and controversially. But though he could be accused of abandoning his team mid-way, it can be argued in his defence that the ship had already sunk. What he leaves behind, however, is emptiness. He was that rare article in English cricket: a match-winning Test spinner.

In many ways Swann was a freak. Not since James Laker have England produced an orthodox spinner as prolific for as long a period. And incredibly, Swann did it by staying loyal to the classical principles of offspin bowling when most of his peers were forced to reinvent the art by taking advantage of the 15-degree flex allowed by the ICC. You could call it brave and principled, or perhaps it was just something that suited him, but the fact is that with Swann you got what you saw. England will not only be a lesser team without him, but they may have to wait another eternity to find a match-winning spinner.

In part two, published on January 7, a look at the state of Test cricket, the Champions Trophy and the governance of the game

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One stride forward, three back

West Indies were mostly sloppy and lacked the resilient spirit that had come to define their cricket in 2012

Garth Wattley January 5, 2014

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Shane Shillingford was outstanding through 2013 and his suspension for an illegal bowling action was a body blow to West Indies cricket © WICB Media/Randy Brooks Photo

In 2012, West Indies were a team showing signs of improvement. Their efforts in 2013, however, represented definite backsliding. The cautious optimism the stakeholders in Caribbean cricket harboured at the turn of the year was quashed by a series of reversals. It was a year of regression.

The promising run of six consecutive Test wins that had began in 2012 in the Caribbean came to an abrupt halt in India and now West Indies have lost four of the their last five Tests. Unlike in 2012, there was no global title to celebrate. West Indies' journey in the Champions Trophy in England was ended by the combination of Duckworth-Lewis and an untimely Kieron Pollard dismissal before the semi-final stage.

They also had another losing one-day record, winning just nine of 24 matches. Their T20 showing was better: three wins and two losses. But it was the manner in which West Indies played, or rather, did not play, that was the real cause for concern.

In their seven Tests, they lost by an innings three times, including both matches on the belatedly arranged tour of India and then once more on the visit to New Zealand.

On home turf in the ODIs, after winning their opening two matches of the tri-nation series and seemingly well placed to reach the final, West Indies lost their remaining two games to India, the eventual winners, and Sri Lanka. In those matches and in the Test defeats, West Indies were sloppy and lacking the resilient spirit that had come to define their cricket in 2012.

The nucleus of the squad deployed in the various formats had not changed. The selectors attempted to show faith in the same group in the hope that the players would mature relatively quickly. They stuck faithfully with Kieran Powell, the Nevisian opener who had put together three centuries the previous year, including two in the same Test against Bangladesh. But Powell never reached those standards in 2013, ending it averaging an unsatisfactory 20.00.

The selectors had also introduced fast bowler Shannon Gabriel on the 2012 tour of England, and they gave him another go, following his recovery from a back injury, against Zimbabwe, India (as a replacement for Kemar Roach) and New Zealand. But after a promising effort against the newly reintroduced Zimbabweans in two Tests, he fell away so dramatically that he was out of the side for the final Test against New Zealand.

Roach and Ravi Rampaul, as productive a new-ball pair as West Indies have had since the retirements of Courtney Walsh and Curtly Ambrose, could not stay fit enough to share the new ball for anything like a sustained period. Rampaul was either unavailable because of injury, or simply not risked in any Test, while Roach - one of the world's leading bowlers in 2012 - managed just the two Tests against Zimbabwe. Andre Russell's form was such that he played only four ODIs and three T20s all year.

" Dwayne Bravo tried to bring energy and aggression to the one-day captaincy, but his lack of runs will have been a worry. Sammy's quiet year meant that his allrounder's spot remained under scrutiny

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The absence of a settled bowling attack meant that by the latter part of the year, Darren Sammy's Test team had become overly dependent on Shane Shillingford's offspin; an option that ran out after his subsequent suspension from international cricket.

Just as debilitating to the team cause in the Test and one-day formats was the decline of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels. Gayle averaged 19-plus in an ODI season, and in the four Tests he played before a hamstring injury curtailed his year, he averaged 40. The bulk of those runs came against Zimbabwe. But in general, Gayle's runs were not influential or match-winning. His quick exits put extra pressure on his partners - Powell in the Tests, Johnson Charles in the ODIs, and No. 3 Darren Bravo in both formats.

Pollard started the year strongly in the ODI series in Australia, but faded before injury ended his season too. His made six scores of 0 in 17 one-day innings.

The lack of production from those pillars of the team may have been due to a variety of reasons. But those failures gave the less established support cast the chance to embrace more responsibility. They did not quite do that. And that collective inability to handle the extra pressure and add quality to their individual games was as much the reason for West Indies' disappointing year as anything else.

Darren Bravo was fairly consistent in the ODIs, with one century and six fifties. But he needed to make more of some of those good starts. His double-century in the Dunedin Test was the highlight of a disappointing Test match run. It was an innings constructed under great pressure and was the difference between an honourable draw and a heavy defeat. However, two failures followed in Wellington. It is the sustained production of innings of both quantity and quality that the selectors still anxiously await.

His captains - Sammy in the Tests and T20s and brother Dwayne in the ODIs - badly need the support. Their own 2013 form was below par and neither could compensate for their failures in other departments of the game. Bravo, given the one-day captaincy, tried to bring energy and aggression to the job. But his lack of runs will have been a worry. Sammy's quiet year, with the ball especially, meant that his allrounder's spot remained under scrutiny.

Unsurprisingly, the veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul, now past 11,000 Test runs, was one of the precious few who maintained his level of performance, as did the offspinner Sunil Narine in ODIs and T20s. His six-wicket haul in his sole Test of the year also boosted what has been a slow start to his Test career.

Apart from those two, wicketkeeper-batsman and vice-captain Denesh Ramdin quietly shored up his place in the Test side in 2013. His century under pressure in the final Test against New Zealand contributed to a healthy average of 45.55 for the year. Three centuries in the last 18 months represent encouraging returns. At least in his case, the report card could be marked "improved".

Johnson Charles improved his credentials as an opening batsman in the shorter formats in 2013 © BCCI

High point
The biggest ray of sunshine was provided by the inaugural season of the Caribbean Premier League. The T20 franchise series captivated the public across the region, without exception. It brought atmosphere and fresh enthusiasm to grounds long devoid of those ingredients. It provided more work for players in the Caribbean, brought a few more into the limelight, and demonstrated the potential to get more youngsters genuinely interested in the game.

Low point
The three innings defeats, especially the two in India in Sachin Tendulkar's farewell series, were alarming and dispiriting. But Shilingford's suspension from international cricket for a second time for an illegal action summed up West Indies' year. The offspinner was prolific, bagging 36 wickets to emerge in 2013 as a bowler the team could rely on. His removal was a body blow, not only for the player but the team as a whole. It was a case of one stride forward, three well back.

New kid on the block
It was not his first year of international cricket, but Johnson Charles improved his credentials as an opening batsman in the shorter formats with some substantial innings. He chose a tough tour to Australia in which to score his maiden ODI century, in a series the tourists lost 5-0. He followed an even 100 in Melbourne in February with 130 against Zimbabwe later that same month. More prudent shot selection bore results for this fearless attacker. But choice of shots and choice of time to play them is an area that Charles will have to work on if he is to become a true asset to the side.

Fading star
Samuels, so outstanding for his focus in 2012, had a slow start to the year because of an eye injury. He never caught himself and did not seem to have the same resolve at the crease that had defined his batting in 2012. A chronic wrist problem, which eventually caused him to leave the New Zealand tour ahead of the limited-overs series, may have had something to do with some of those failures. Now that he is almost 33, there ought to be at least two good years left for Samuels to use his obvious gifts in West Indies' cause. The big question, however, is whether the motivation he seemed to lack in 2013 will return.

What 2014 holds
West Indies stumbled through the last two months of 2013 giving off a sense of insecurity and uncertainty that has come to define too many seasons.

For once, friction between the administrators and the players' body was not a source of turmoil. New leadership on both sides has brought more civil, less public exchanges. The Caribbean Premier League also put some wind in the sails of the WICB ship. But the disastrous results in India and New Zealand at the end of the year were a reminder of the rough waters West Indies cricket is still in.

The Darren Sammy-Ottis Gibson captain-coach combination that had coaxed, spirited and committed cricket from their charges in 2012, did not do the same in 2013. Darren Bravo's departure from the West Indies ODI series for "personal reasons" still unexplained at the time of writing, left room for unhealthy speculation. And comments about a lack of team unity by his brother, ODI skipper Dwayne, when he joined the tour, pointed to a team in crisis. In his comments after the Test series in New Zealand, Sammy, an admirable leader in many respects, sounded like a man who had reached his limit.

His time at the helm could well be at an end. But what new WICB president Dave Cameron and his board directors must also realise is that Sammy has done the best he could with what he has had to work with. The failures of technique and application that led to embarrassment and disappointment this year, were a reflection not just on individuals but of the problems existing at grass-roots level in the Caribbean. That state of play will not be changing in 2014.

Cameron boldly said back in June: "Anything that I am able to achieve in my presidency will be as a result of what we were able to achieve on the field."

He should brace himself for some trying times.

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Pakistan take top-order pluses from draw

In the second innings in Abu Dhabi, albeit on a tame pitch, Mohammad Hafeez brought his ODI form into Tests and Ahmed Shehzad scored a half-century on debut - signs that have pleased Pakistan and Misbah-ul-Haq

Pakistan enjoyed positives in the shape of their top-order's form, despite flittering away their first-innings advantage in what turned out to be a tame draw in Abu Dhabi. The contest might not have been a thrilling one, thanks to the unresponsive surface, as both teams failed to get the opposition all out in the second innings, but Mohammad Hafeez scored his first Test half-century in 12 innings, while debutant Ahmed Shehzad showed he could produce at this level.

Pakistan's previous opening pair of Shan Masood and Khurrum Manzoor was separated to give Shehzad a go, while Azhar Ali was left out to allow Hafeez to bat at No. 3. The new combination came off, despite Manzoor failing - he now has 0, 0, 21 and 8 in his last four innings. Hafeez was unbeaten on 80 in the second innings, while Shehzad followed up 38 with 55.

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq was pleased to have the duo showing good signs. "It's important that we have our [top-order] batsmen in form," he said. "We have got ample positives out of the game as Hafeez converted his one-day form into Test form, while another plus for us is Ahmed. He is a good batsman and technically sound player."

Pakistan, arguably, could have tried something different in Sri Lanka's second innings to drag the game in their favour. Pakistan played with four specialist bowlers, with part-timer Hafeez being the fifth. They conceded 480 runs in 168.3 overs in the second innings, with Rahat Ali and Saeed Ajmal combining for 87.3 wicketless overs, but Misbah restrained himself from using Hafeez, or the part-time legbreaks of Shehzad.

When asked if he could have used his part-time bowlers to change things up, Misbah said the pitch was unresponsive anyway. "Later the spinners couldn't play their part on the sort of pitch we had - and that was a setback for both teams. They didn't contribute at all, that's the reason both teams weren't able to get all the batsmen out."

Pakistan subsequently had 67 overs to chase 302. Misbah said they had drawn up a plan to go for the win, but opted for the draw after Shehzad's dismissal. "With the first three batsmen, we just wanted to build partnerships. Our plan was that if we could reach around of 170-180 with 8-9 wickets in hand, then we could push on. But when Ahmed Shehzad got out and with one man short [Adnan Akmal was unfit], at that stage we thought we should go for the draw."

Misbah admitted Pakistan still had work to do on their batting, as they were in a position to take an even bigger first-innings lead but fell from 329 for 4 to 383 all out. "We need to work on our batting more as we at one stage were 350 for 4 and suddenly 383 all out. We should have got 450 odd runs on board to have big lead to put pressure on the opposition."

Misbah praised his counterpart Angelo Mathews for showing fight to earn Sri Lanka a respectable draw. "Test cricket is all about fluctuations. After getting somebody out in the first innings, you can't just think you've won the match," said Misbah."Mathews' innings [of 157 not out] is how teams fight back.

"They fought hard and batted well. Mathews batted very well and turned the match. The pitch was still doing a little bit, offering a bit on the fourth day, so credit should be given to the Sri Lanka batsman. They applied themselves very well. The ball was swinging but I think they, especially Mathews, played so well."

Despite Pakistan claiming just the one wicket on day four - Junaid thus missed out becoming the only Pakistan fast bowler to take 10 wickets in a match since 2009 - Misbah backed his bowlers. "Our bowling has been outstanding in first innings and also in the second one. They bowled in good areas but remained unlucky. Even if they [Sri Lanka] batted well, they still got sharply beaten, got edges that fell a bit short of fielders … So somehow the luck factor played its part and in the end both team ended up with a draw."

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