Laxman launches ESPNcricinfo's Talking Cricket

Talking Cricket, a compilation of in-depth interviews with the greats of the modern era - from the Nawab of Pataudi to Mark Taylor - on various aspects of cricket, was launched in Hyderabad on Friday by VVS Laxman, the former India batsman. The book, which was launched in the company of commentator Harsha Bhogle and ESPNcricinfo editor Sambit Bal, brings together selected long-form interviews covered in ESPNcricinfo, Wisden Asia Cricket and Cricinfo Magazines over the past decade.

The book features 22 interviews in the Q&A format with current and former players giving their inputs on topics including the technical aspects of the game, and the mental side. Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis explain the nuances of swing and fast bowling, Matthew Hayden speaks on intimidation, Ian Chappell on Australianism, Sachin Tendulkar on how he changed his game and Bill Lawry on commentary. Captaincy has been explored in great detail, with four players - Nasser Hussain, Mark Taylor, Mahela Jayawardene and Pataudi - speaking on the subject.

The idea with the series was to broadly explore a single theme in each interview. "Over the years, we interviewed cricketers across generations and countries on a variety of subjects," Bal wrote in his introduction. "If you wanted to know how VVS Laxman developed the gift of caressing the ball from outside off through midwicket, or why Virender Sehwag bats the way he does, you can hear it from the men themselves."

He says the Q&A style does justice to delving deeper into a particular topic: "The Q&A is a format that keeps the interviewee centre stage. The interviewer contributes by steering the conversation, but the spotlight never leaves the subject. The embellishments of the written-through format may at times read better, and the impressionistic interventions of the writer may provide a deeper sense of place and time, but for revelation of soul and exploration of depth, the Q&A is incomparable."

During a live chat with Bhogle and Bal, ahead of the launch, Laxman spoke about how he became a better player of spin, how he developed his wristy style of batting, and why youngsters should be taught early on how to handle fame and pressure.

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Warks tempt Hain to Britain

Warwickshire may have pulled off something of a coup by signing Sam Hain. Hain broke into the Australia U19 squad aged just 16 and was regarded by some as the best young batting prospect in the country.

But now he has committed himself to England and has agreed a contract with Warwickshire.

17-year-old Hain was born in Hong Kong but has a UK passport - both his parents are British - and will accompany Warwickshire's first team squad on their pre-season trip to Barbados.

He was spotted by former Warwickshire captain, Michael Powell, while on an exchange scheme at Loretto School in Edinburgh, where Powell now works, and was sent for trials at Warwickshire. He made his debut for the club's second XI aged just 14 and impressed sufficiently to win the club's most promising young player award. He agreed a contract with Warwickshire a year ago, but on the understanding that he would finish his education in Australia and join up with the squad ahead of the 2013 season.

Warwickshire have also signed Scotland batsman Freddie Coleman. The 21-year-old from Edinburgh scored a century for Oxford MCCU against Worcestershire last season in just his second first-class game.

He also won the MCCU Walter Lawrence Trophy for his innings of 141 against Durham MCCU. The award is made to the highest individual scorer from the MCCUs in innings against other MCCUs or the first-class counties. He made his List A debut for Scotland aged just 18 in 2010 and was recently awarded a developmental contract with Scotland. He will join Hain in Barbados.

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Practice helped me master spin - Laxman

VVS Laxman, in his 16-year Test career, established himself as one of the best players of spin bowling in the world but, by his own admission, it wasn't a talent he had acquired when he first picked up the bat. Failures early in his career taught him to respect spin bowling more and after hours of practice his batting had evolved to the point where he could master any attack.

Laxman was speaking at the launch of Talking Cricket, a compilation of the best Q&A long-form interviews published by ESPNcricinfo and Walt Disney. The book features 22 interviews with current and former players speaking on specific topics such as captaincy, swing bowling, commentary, batting etc. Those interviewed include Sachin Tendulkar, Ian Chappell, Mahela Jayawardene, Barry Richards, and Laxman himself.

"I never got to play quality spin bowling when I was growing up," Laxman said in a discussion with Harsha Bhogle and ESPNcricinfo editor Sambit Bal, responding to an extract from an earlier interview. "As a kid I always enjoyed playing fast bowling. I neglected playing spinners. At the end of the practice session I got extra throw-downs, asking the coaches to throw from ten yards so I could play quicker bowling. I used to practice on cement wickets using a plastic ball or a wet tennis ball.

"When I started playing the Ranji Trophy, there were some quality spinners in domestic cricket and I remember I would invariably get out to Sairaj Bahutule (former Mumbai legspinner), playing against the spin and getting caught at midwicket. That's when I came back to the nets and luckily Hyderabad had some quality spinners like Arshad Ayub, Venkatapathy Raju, Kanwaljit Singh. I practiced hard at the nets against them and I always felt that the hard work you put in the nets will reap results. Within a span of six months to one year I became an excellent player of spin. In domestic cricket we used to get tough wickets, like the one in Chennai for the Test (against Australia), and my confidence grew."

Laxman's admissions could be a lesson for the touring Australian team, whose batsmen struggled against spin in Chennai. "You react to the ball that is coming at you," he said. "If you focus on the guy holding the ball, your thought process changes. You should remove things like the state of the pitch from your thought process and only react to the ball. If you think too much about the wicket, you're only expecting a certain kind of delivery and in the bargain you lose out on the shot you could have played."

Laxman also spoke at length about how it's a bigger challenge for youngsters today to strike the balance between their game and their personality, compared to the scenario at the time he was growing up. He felt it is a challenge for the modern cricketer to manage distractions better, given that players nowadays have plenty on their plate to deal with.

	"There is so much of fame, adulation, scrutiny, and money [these days]. It is very important for any young cricketer to be as balanced as possible. It is very difficult to do so and I feel for them." VVS Laxman

"It's not just about distractions. It's the amount of options available to you. For example, when I chose not to become a doctor and chose cricket as my career path, there was nothing in my life except cricket. When my friends went to movies etc, I used to go home, so I could be fresh in the morning for practice. Now, there are so many options. If you are not successful as a cricketer you could be successful in any other field. That is why now it is very important how you communicate with the youngsters. You cannot be negative with them. You have to be positive so that their interest in the game always remains.

"There is so much of fame, adulation, scrutiny, and money [these days]. It is very important for any young cricketer to be as balanced as possible. It is very difficult to do so and I feel for them."

While he agreed that mentorship is important to a player's growth, he insisted that a youngster should be educated on what his priorities should be at an early age.

"What was the one thing that kept me going? It was the pride of playing for your country," Laxman said. "That can be ingrained at a young age. [Money] is a danger. For young cricketers, their priorities should be emphasised. They should know that money is a by-product of what you're trying to achieve. Pride and passion should be the first priority. I have noticed in the same coaching camps I used to attend as a kid, the parents now say 'I don't care if my son plays for India or not but I want him to get into one of the IPL franchises.' There has to be a balance. That will happen in the ages of 16-19. The coaches at camps like at the NCA have to address the issue."

Coaching youngsters, he says, also needs to be handled with caution. "After my retirement my son suddenly became interested in the game, I don't know why," Laxman said, which was followed by laughter. "I just tell him to hit the ball. My nephew goes to a coaching camp and one day I was playing with the two of them. It was strange. My son was only hitting the ball without bothering about his head position etc, but my nephew would come to me as ask, 'uncle, how is my elbow position?' They are just aged 6 and 7. What structured coaching sometimes does is it removes the natural instincts of a player. Till a cricketer is mature, one should not load too much information on him. I notice spinners are at their best till they are 15, but they vanish. The coaches try to correct them and the player gets confused."

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Wagner added to NZ Test squad

Neil Wagner, the left-arm quick, has been added to the New Zealand squad for the first Test against England in Dunedin after impressing in the tour match in Queenstown.

Wagner claimed six wickets in the match and produced some lively spells in the second innings to trouble England's top order.

New Zealand could yet decide to field an all-pace attack in the first Test which would mean Wagner, who has three caps, lining up alongside Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Doug Bracewell. However, if they opt to give a debut to left-arm spinner Bruce Martin, Wagner could find himself carrying the drinks.

Wagner, who was born in South Africa, has taken five wickets in the early stages of his Test career but has had a productive domestic season with 30 wickets at 25.43.

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Teams start even in new format

Match Facts

March 1, 2013
Start time 1800 local (1600GMT)

Big Picture

South Africa's summer of Test cricket is over but the sunshine and good times are not. Another three weeks of activity awaits and it is up to the limited-overs formats to turn what has been a one-sided series into a competitive, two-way street.

The balance has definitely tipped. It is no longer a No.1 ranked team in conditions that suit them up against a side determined to prove something. Both South Africa and Pakistan hover in the middle of the Twenty20 rankings at the moment. While South Africa have never tasted the success of a major trophy, Pakistan have and were responsible for dumping South Africa out of the 2009 World Twenty20 - which they went on to win - and beating them in both other meetings at a major tournament.

That fact sums up the difference between the two teams' approaches to limited-overs cricket. Pakistan have won when it matters, South Africa have when it doesn't. Add that to the hosts' current state of transition and Pakistan will see an opportunity to strike. They have with them a wealth of experience headed by Shahid Afridi while South Africa's young squad includes only four Test regulars.

In essence, this is a clash between a team still experimenting with the format and one that has never had the same urgency to master it because they thrive in unpredictability. Pakistan can be expected to bring every element of themselves that has made the world fall in love with cricket over and over again: the late batting-order revival, the surprise wickets, the picture-perfect catch. If all those elements combine perfectly, it will make for good viewing.

South Africa have promised to be more clinical, a suggestion that hints at no more floating batting line-up and miscalculations over who will bowl at the death. Given their haphazard approach to the shortest format, that shows they are taking it more seriously. The key will be not to be too rigid.

It's set up to be a contest of Pakistan's ability to light flames versus South Africa's new cool and supposedly inflammable nature. What a thrill it would be if the series sets on fire.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
South Africa: WLWLL
Pakistan: LWLWL

In the Spotlight:

Although Faf du Plessis led the team with aplomb in their three-match series against New Zealand late last year, he was merely a stand-in then. Now, he is officially the permanent captain of the team and that will bring different pressure. Du Plessis has already shown he has the maturity to deal with being one of the senior-most batsmen in the XI and leading it and with a young squad under his command, the need for him to continue in that vein will be even more pressing.

His opposite number Mohammed Hafeez will also be under the microscope but for individual reasons. Hafeez was dismal with bat in hand in the Test series but now returns to the format where he has enjoyed much success. He does not have a red ball or Dale Steyn to worry about and Pakistan will be looking to him to kickstart some success for them on a tour that has so far brought only struggle.

Team news:

In yet another shift in roles for AB de Villiers, the former captain will now open the batting and keep wickets. That probably means no space for young Quinton de Kock who had gloves in hand for the matches against New Zealand and batted at No.3. New leader du Plessis will bat out of his preferred position (the top two), but will most likely come in at No.3. Chris Morris will likely slot in the lower middle-order, which will leave Rory Kleinveldt, Kyle Abbott and Ryan McLaren to fight for two spots if Lonwabo Tsotsobe plays. Aaron Phangiso may miss out to Robin Peterson in the spinner's role.

South Africa: (probable) 1 AB de Villiers (wk), 2 Henry Davids, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Justin Ontong, 5 David Miller, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Robin Peterson, 9 and 10 Rory Kleinveldt/Kyle Abbott/Ryan McLaren, 11 Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Pakistan welcome back a galaxy of stars, with their brightest being Afridi. If the mercurial all-rounder brings his best side, it will be an immediate boost to them. The Akmal brothers, with Kamran likely to keep, are also back. Junaid Khan has recovered from the thigh wound which kept him out of the last two Tests, and is available for selection.

Pakistan: (probable) 1 Nasir Jamshed, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammed Hafeez (capt), 4 Umar Akmal, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Kamran Akmal (wk), 7 Shahid Afridi, 8, Wahab Riaz/Juniad Khan 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Mohammed Irfan

Stats and Trivia:

• Only one point separates these two teams on the rankings. South Africa are at No.5 and Pakistan No.6
• The longest winning streak enjoyed by both South Africa and Pakistan is seven matches. South Africa's was between March and June 2009 and Pakistan's in the same year between June and November.
• The teams have played each other six times in T20s, with each side winning three. Their last encounter was at the World Twenty20 in September last year, which Pakistan won.

Quotes:

"We are practising skills now that we want to be better at in six to ten games time. It's not going to happen now because we don't have a lot of time together as a T20 squad."
South Africa's new captain Faf du Plessis is looking to the future as he takes charge of the national side

"We are really missing crowd support because we don't play cricket at home. If we can get some support, it will be good."
Mohammed Hafeez hopes to tap into the sub-continental heritage of Durban and swing the fans his team's way

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We played like a family - Manzoor

The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is back in Karachi after two seasons, as Karachi Blues outclassed Sialkot in a one-sided contest to win Pakistan's premium first-class tournament. Blues captain Khurram Manzoor credited the all-round effort of his side, which wasn't too formidable on paper, for the winning the title.

Although there were no fireworks or cheers in the deserted stands of Gaddafi Stadium, there was jubilant celebration by the players. When Manzoor lofted the ball to the midwicket boundary to score the winning runs, the Blues players, who were waiting at the boundary rope, erupted screaming onto the field to embrace their captain. They had another reason for joy: the team had remained unbeaten over the course of ten matches and two months.

"It was the moment we have been waiting for," Manzoor said while standing in front of a sombre Sialkot dressing room. "This is a result of the hard work put in by all of our players and the coaching staff. I am very happy as a player and as a captain - this is a significant achievement for me. They are all happy and want people to know that. I can't explain in words how happy I am and that's why we are screaming loud. This is all about the victory.

"We didn't have big names on paper but we played like a family. Sometime there were heated arguments, differences, we quarrelled on various occasions, but it was merely on how to attain the best result on the field. It was all teamwork. In the end, it is the result that matters, and so it's a moment of joy. I love to be a part of such a talented side.

"The key was the planning of our short-term goals instead of setting a big goal. We had a plan for each hour, each session to keep the players on their toes and didn't burden them to achieve bigger goal. The motto is to win every day to keep the momentum on, and this helped us against complacency. We knew if the plan worked the title wouldn't be far from us. If we have strong belief, we can win."

One of the key men who contributed to the win was Akbar-ur-Rehman, who topped the run-charts with 986 runs in ten games, with three fifties and three centuries, one of which was a double. He scored a century in the final, too; his 178 in the first innings helped his side gain a decisive 199-run lead.

"I simply call him a one-man army and I am proud of him," Manzoor said. "He played his role and his presence in the middle was a relief for me. He was the backbone of our batting and performed well when it matters and I wish him very best of luck for his future."

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BCB gets land for stadium in Cox's Bazar

The organisation of the upcoming World Twenty20, scheduled for March next year, received a major logistical boost after the Bangladesh government granted land for an international stadium in the town of Cox's Bazar.

During an inter-ministerial meeting for the global event on Thursday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the civil aviation authority to hand over the coastal town's golf course to the Bangladesh Cricket Board. Many BCB presidents have sought land in the country's most popular tourist destination.

"The decision to build a stadium in Cox's Bazar was among the primary decisions taken during the meeting," sports secretary Noor Mohammad said. "The land belongs to the civil aviation authority, so the BCB will sit with them to build the ground. They will understand the technical issues better. The sports ministry will also assist in whichever way necessary."

The BCB will be looking to host the women's section of the World Twenty20 in Cox's Bazar, particularly because of the number of hotels already existing in the town that is famous for having the longest sea beach in the world.

The BCB has recently had to deal with hotel shortage in Khulna where three international matches and some BPL games were held since November last year. Bangladesh have traditionally used two cities during an international series at home, but with plans to develop the new stadium in Cox's Bazar as a major venue, it could only help in the country's cricket depicting a more exotic picture.

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Bengal crush Karnataka, Assam stun Mumbai

Assam 178 (Roy 69, Gokul 51, Salvi 3-25) beat Mumbai 151 (Shaikh 42, Nechim 3-31) by 27 runs
Scorecard

Assam reached the semi-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy for the first time by beating previous season's finalists Mumbai by 27 runs. It was double delight for Assam, as they had never defeated the 40-time Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai before in any format, an outcome that delighted their captain and fast bowler Abu Nechim.

"It is a huge achievement to beat a side like Mumbai," Nechim, who also plays for Mumbai Indians, told ESPNcricinfo. "I have been playing for Assam for so many years and we have not had a result like this for a long time. The entire team is very happy and this win is for all the people of Assam.

"A win like this can take you places. Who knows, it might even open up a chance for some of the young players in the team to play for India or in the IPL."

The result was even more pleasing for Nechim as his side bounced back after having been bowled out for an underwhelming 178. Nechim told his players not to lose heart during the innings break. "I told them we still had a chance with the ball and should go out and give it our best shot. That was the only option we had really."

Assam came out with purpose. Mumbai were reduced to 6 for 3, and 39 for 4, chasing a modest target and could never get going. Wasim Jaffer was bowled in the first over for 5 by Nechim and Rohit Sharma was bowled in the second over for a duck by Arup Das. Shoaib Shaikh (42) and Ankeet Chavan (36) took Mumbai past 100 but following the former's dismissal by Gokul Sharma, Mumbai lost regular wickets to be dismissed for 151. Nechim himself led the way with a haul of 3 for 31 while Pritam Das accounted for the counter-attacking Siddhesh Lad and Chavan.

Aavishkar Salvi's opening burst had Assam tottering at 30 for 3 after Mumbai chose to field but a 92-run fifth-wicket stand between Sibsankar Roy and Gokul revived the innings. Assam were in a decent position at 147 for 4 in the 40th over but the lower order fell apart as the innings folded for 178, which proved enough in the end.

Despite what the win meant for them, Nechim and his side had a semi-final against Kerala to concentrate on and could not afford to spend time in too many celebrations. "We have another big match coming up. What we did was all of us got together in my room after the game. All the players and the coach, we spoke about what had happened today."

Bengal 128 for 0 (Goswami 70*, Saha 52*) beat Karnataka 127 (Shami 3-32, Veer Pratap 3-40) by ten wickets
Scorecard

Defending champions Bengal crushed Karnataka by ten wickets to set up a semi-final clash against Delhi. The seam trio of Shami Ahmed, Veer Pratap Singh and Laxmi Shukla ripped through the Karnataka line-up after Bengal chose to bowl. Karnataka were 57 for 6 at one stage with only Manish Pandey (28) among the top six getting into double figures. The lower order scraped Karnataka to 127 before they were dismissed in the 33rd over.

The Bengal openers Shreevats Goswami and Wriddhiman Saha saw off the new ball and proceeded to knock off the target in the 29th over, with Goswami finishing on a stroke-filled 70 off 79 deliveries.

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Dominant Delhi, Kerala make last four

Delhi 130 for 2 (Gambhir 44*) beat Gujarat 126 (Narwal 5-21) by eight wickets
Scorecard

Delhi crushed Gujarat in Visakhapatnam to enter the quarter-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, first rolling them for 126 and then knocking off the meagre target with over 21 overs to spare. Seamer Sumit Narwal triggered the Gujarat collapse, removing both openers after they had strung together a partnership of 40. Narwal went on to five wickets in an economical seven-over spell, and received support from new-ball bowler Parvinder Awana and Rajat Bhatia as Gujarat went on to score just 86 more runs in 25 overs after the opening stand was broken. Delhi lost opener Dhruv Shorey early in the chase, but the rest of the top order contributed cameos as they cruised home. Gautam Gambhir finished unbeaten on 44, the top-scorer in the game.

Kerala 320 for 6 (Jagadeesh 119, Sachin Baby 104*) beat Punjab 274 (Gurkeerat 99, Mandeep 81) by 46 runs
Scorecard

Kerala put on a dominating show with the bat, to ease past Punjab by 46 runs, and secure their place in the final four. Punjab chose to bowl, and made a decent start, reducing Kerala to 51 for 2 in the tenth over. However, one of the openers, VA Jagadeesh, hung in there and went on to make a career-best 119, that set a firm platform. Sachin Baby, batting at No. 6, launched from that platform, scoring a maiden List A century. He finished unbeaten on 104 runs from 70 balls to take Kerala to 320. For Punjab, Gurkeerat almost played a similar role to that of Jagadeesh, but was run out on 99 to dent Punjab's chances. Their hopes took another big blow when Yuvraj Singh was out to Prasanth Parameswaran for a golden duck. Mandeep Singh kept them going with a steady 81, but they still fell well short, bowled out in the 48th over.

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Jahural Islam fined 50% of BCL-final match fee

Jahurul Islam has been fined 50% of his Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) final match fee after he played in a university match without the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) permission. He was also warned that a similar incident in the future will result in an automatic two-match ban.

Ahead of the third day of the BCL final held at the Shere Bangla National Stadium, he played for Dhaka University in the nearby Suhrawardi Indoor Stadium, in an inter-university indoor cricket tournament. With the final being a day-night match, Jahurul returned to the ground two hours before play started, having played an eight-overs-a-side match. Later on the same day, he was named in the 15-man Test squad for the Sri Lanka tour, returning after almost three years.

A day after the final, which Jahurul almost won single-handedly for North Zone, he was summoned by the BCB's cricket operations committee because he is a contracted player under Grade C.

"The BCB disciplinary committee felt that as an experienced cricketer at domestic and international level, Islam should have been more aware of the terms of his engagement with the BCB," the board said in a statement. "As captain of a side playing in the final of a first-class event, he should have displayed a more responsible attitude, not only to his team-mates, but also to the outcome of the match.

"Finally, by playing in an unauthorised capacity, in an unfamiliar format, he had exposed himself unnecessarily to the risk of possible injury, thereby jeopardising the selection process of the Bangladesh Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka."

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