For one Test in the summer of 2003 against South Africa, he was golden. Then everything went pear-shaped

Tanya Aldred27-Jul-2012James Kirtley cut a slight figure in his cricket whites – all limbs, pint-pot ears and a face straight out of the ’50s – but what he lacked in menace he made up for in intelligence.If you were following county cricket in the noughties, you looked for his name. He was a diamond in Sussex’s jewel of a team, a reliable, accurate, effective, nippy bowler with a knees-up action and clockwork-dog arms, who could produce extravagant swing in the right conditions. He took 50 or more first-class wickets seven times between 1998 and 2005, including 75 in 2001, and was a crucial reason why Sussex, historically an also-ran side, became something special, winning the Championship in 2003, 2006 and 2007. And yet he was only able to pull at the hem of Test cricket, playing just four times. A nice guy who didn’t quite make the cut.Kirtley was haunted throughout his career by claims that he had an illegal action. He was found to have a hyper-extending elbow and was cleared by the ECB before making his one-day international debut, in 2001, but was reported by the match referee. He returned home and worked to keep his action more upright, and was cleared six months later – only for the ECB to find his action illegal again, in October 2005. Kirtley returned after remedial work, but right to the end the whispers followed him. The strain was sometimes hard to bear. “It has been a stigma in my career. It is a taboo in cricket and sticks like mud.”In the early summer of 2003, he was bowling well and without adverse comment. He’d taken 19 wickets in his first three matches. When one of his team-mates shouted at him down at Hove that he was picked in the squad for the two-Test series against Zimbabwe, it came as a huge surprise. Although he never made the final XI, he spent a lot of time hanging around and getting to know the other players. England demolished Zimbabwe in both Tests and won the triangular one-day series that included the second visitors of the summer, South Africa. However, the Test series that followed was a far more difficult challenge.South Africa were a grown-up side, albeit one in transition, under a new leader, the 22-year-old Graeme Smith. Smith was titanic, in size, talent, aura and self-confidence, and had stamped his authority on the side by leaving at home talisman Lance Klusener. When the England captain, Nasser Hussain, referred to Smith as “Wotsisname” in a pre-series press conference, he little knew what he was provoking.In the first Test, at Edgbaston, Smith scored 277 and 85. At Lord’s he made 259. He was like Thor, relentless and grinding. England were saved by the rain in Birmingham, but lost Hussain, who felt he no longer had a hand on the tiller of the team and resigned in favour of the one-day captain, Michael Vaughan. Vaughan then lost his first Test as leader by an innings. Darren Gough retired. A summer of ridicule and frantic blueprints seemed written, and by the time Trent Bridge rolled along, the public were ready for change.David Graveney had called up reinforcements from the counties and there was a battle for the final bowling place between two faithful county bloodhounds, Kirtley and Lancashire’s Glen Chapple. Kirtley had been picked and discarded for four successive Tests – would it be a fifth? He remembers: “There was a bit of a shootout, but because I’d spent a lot of time around the side that summer, I got my chance.”It was a short-sleeved-jumper sort of day at Trent Bridge. Kirtley was only told he was playing on the morning of the game. He and Ed Smith, the other debutant, were presented with their caps out on the boundary. “It was a great moment but I can’t remember much else from that other hour and a half,” Kirtley said.

“I did feel an electricity in the atmosphere. Trent Bridge is a fun and knowledgeable crowd – they are aware what people are playing for. You are embraced by all of these factors. It’s like a drug, I guess, and you can get so caught up in it”

England won the toss and batted first on a pitch that looked as if it had been put together by a toddler with unsupervised access to a Pritt stick. Mark Butcher made a beautiful century, which included 21 courtly fours, and Hussain a pugnacious, liberating one, which reached its climax with a raised fist and cathartic rage at the world in general. Ed Smith, on debut, and Alec Stewart, in his final series, made fifties. Kirtley contributed one run, but “managed to hang around a bit with Stewie, and it was nice to be able to ease myself into the game”.With 445 on the board, England had something to work with. Kirtley was thrown the second over of the South African reply. “Herschelle Gibbs promptly smashed me through midwicket for four. Thankfully Trent Bridge was a good pitch for me. I took six [seven] wickets there earlier in the season.”When Graeme Smith trod on his stumps for 35, the whole team, the whole crowd, perhaps the whole country relaxed. On the third morning, with the fifth ball of the day, Kirtley got what he wanted. “I got one to leave [Jacques] Rudolph and I was up and running. When you’re a batsman you just want to get off the mark and as a bowler it is exactly the same feeling. The fact that I only needed the next ball for the second one – I got [Boeta] Dippenaar lbw – all helped.”Vaughan had James Anderson and Kirtley, Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison in his armoury – guile and hammer. But guided by Neil McKenzie, South Africa dragged themselves well past the follow-on target and only 83 behind.Kirtley felt relaxed. “It was a friendly dressing room. I think because of the degree of recent change everyone was open. I knew Michael Vaughan well enough – not brilliantly because I hadn’t done the youth tours as much – but I’d played against him in county cricket.”I think that he listened to my views over field placing. I remember in county cricket I often had my square leg far too square, and with England it wasn’t. And I remember realising what detail went into international cricket.”But we never really had to strive for plans because we were regularly taking wickets.”Fourteen wickets fell on the fourth day. Shaun Pollock – accurate, miserly – bowled England out in the second innings for just 118. He finished with 6 for 39 – his last bowling before he flew home and became a father. The pitch was doing what it had always promised, to behave badly. Hussain and Flintoff guided England past three figures and Kirtley tripled his first-innings score, with 3. South Africa needed 202 to win and Kirtley had his chance.”I always had a bit of a reputation for delivering in the big games. I had been bowling well that year and was ideally suited to bowling wicket to wicket, and lbws were massive in the game.”You just get the feeling that things are going your way. There is an expectation, a buzz.”Kirtley made the initial incision: Smith, with “what replays suggest might have been a dubious lbw”, and two balls later, Rudolph legitimately leg-before. By the close South Africa were five down.Kirtley, his slingy action well suited to the conditions, wasn’t going to loosen his grip. The next morning one shot along the ground to McKenzie, there was a half-volley to Andrew Hall, and Paul Adams was the fifth wicket, a caught-and-bowled.”It was a special one, to get it all by myself. He just popped it back at me, and the tears did well up,” Kirtley said.”I did feel an electricity in the atmosphere. Trent Bridge is a fun and knowledgeable crowd – they are aware what people are playing for. You are embraced by all of these factors. It’s like a drug, I guess, and you can get so caught up in it. It is such a great place to deliver and perform. You can’t play at a higher stage than Test cricket. It was everything I wanted and it went well.”England won by 70 runs and Kirtley finished with 6 for 34, the Man-of-the-Match award, and the best figures for an Englishman on debut since John Lever. But he found the immediate aftermath of the game rather gruelling and unsatisfactory.”It sort of got washed away by the press,” he said. “I know that interviews go with the territory, but it was a shame not be in the dressing room and revel in the win. It is a bit of the system which is such a special part…”But Vaughan winning his first Test match, lots of people I respected in the game wanting to buy me a drink – those are the special moments for me. It was so wonderful to be surrounded by players that I respected.”There was a degree of feeling that you were being watched – they had started using slow-mo actions a bit – but the fact that the cricket was never dull got me off the hook a little bit.”Kirtley was picked for the next Test, at Headingley, but developed shin splints. “I limped off in the second innings, unable to bowl. I had bowled so many overs in the two Tests, 100 overs in the week, and with that sort of workload maybe it was inevitable.”Kirtley gets England the win at Trent Bridge with the wicket of Mark Boucher•Getty ImagesHe was distraught; his Test career was starting to slip from his fingers before he’d even enjoyed it properly. “I had waited this long for the opportunity, and I knew there was no way I’d be able to play in the final Test, at The Oval. And I missed matches for Sussex – not being on the pitch when they won the Championship was a tough one. I had ambitions after a good couple of Tests to tour that winter, and I felt that the injury left me with unfinished business.”Kirtley did play two Tests against Sri Lanka in the autumn, after Anderson twisted his ankle playing squash against him. “I remember bowling a lot of overs, but come March, Simon Jones was there, [Matthew] Hoggard was back to his best, Harmison was back to his best, and that side was together again. It is a shame because you learn to bowl on the pitches of the subcontinent, and my bowling got better after I played for England?”Now I’m quite phlegmatic about it. I was never as quick as some of the others bowling, I couldn’t make it bounce like other bowlers, I didn’t have the skills that Jimmy Anderson has now. I probably wasn’t quite any of those things, but I knew I could perform and had a desire to do well. Ultimately I wasn’t good enough, but it is very difficult to be judged on four Test matches.”He looks back now at his cricket career with pride and the knowledge that comes with distance and time.”I achieved everything I wanted to, both with Sussex’s double-winning side and delivering on the best stage you can. Being a cricketer is quite an insular, slightly institutionalised environment. I’m not knocking it, but the more time passes, the more you have chance to reflect that there might be other things that are a little bit more important than bat and ball – but at the time you are playing, it is the be all and end all.”James Kirtley is now the MD of MKK Sports, a sportswear company he jointly set up in 2004. Sussex, Middlesex, Surrey, Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire and London Broncos, amongst others, wear their clothes.

The Australia captain was probably the only one who thought giving Xavier Doherty the last over against Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard wasn’t a mistake

Jarrod Kimber05-Oct-2012George Bailey and Xavier Doherty have known each other since they were kids. Tonight Bailey tested that friendship by throwing Doherty into a vat of acid to see if he could swim. Doherty was demolished.There was no one other than Bailey who thought bowling Doherty in that last over was anything other than a colossal mistake. West Indies had the two people in world cricket most likely to eat Doherty alive with the bat in their hands. They were well set, relaxed, already had a big total, and had cartoon drool coming out of their mouths as Doherty held the ball at the top of his mark.Doherty’s first two overs had gone for 23, it was probably his worst bowling performance of the tournament already, and now he had six balls at Pollard and Gayle when they only had one thing on their minds, how far they could hit him.To his credit, Doherty looked reasonably calm as he walked up. There was no reason to be calm. The score was already 180, and Australia had only taken three wickets. He and Bailey placed the field carefully, although it seemed like a waste of time even then.The first ball was a disaster. It couldn’t have been worse. A finger-spinner bowling a knee-high full toss to Chris Gayle is like throwing a cabbage at Swamp Thing. Gayle just hit it. He’s been hitting full tosses for six since he grew fingernails in the womb. Sometimes you hear the commentators say that low full tosses can be really hard to get away. They don’t mean this kind; this kind is hit for six by players who don’t hit sixes. Gayle smashed it.Brad Hogg had been the pick of the spinners in this match, he had an over left. David Hussey was quite often used at the death, he had two overs left. It’s doubtful whether any other captain would have thrown the ball to Doherty, or found a situation where he thought it was the right thing to do. Doherty is good at the start, against South Africa he set up the match with the new ball. He slides the new ball well, and gets just enough purchase to make the batsmen worry. At the end he seems like a less-viable candidate as he has little mystery and seems to come onto the bat really well.The next ball had to be something special, it had to land to begin with. It had to be out of Gayle’s arc and it had to stay on the playing surface. Doherty showed that he was calm and good enough to bowl the finger-spinner’s trusty retort, the fired-in one at the pads. Gayle couldn’t smash it, he couldn’t do much with it at all, he just let it hit his pad and limp a single.In normal life, and for large parts of the rest of the innings, Gayle being off strike had been Australia’s dream. It seemed much of their tactic was simply to keep him from being on strike. Considering Gayle had batted the entire 19.2 overs, and the score wasn’t 300, it had worked. But now Kieron Pollard was in. Pollard is someone who can look rubbish at the start of any tournament or series, but then he warms up. Considering he often struggles against real pace, and he’d just driven a 150km yorker for four and scooped another one straight over his head, it was quite clear he was the Killer Kieron, not the Pillock Pollard.Doherty went straight at him on a length, probably thinking he could slip one through him. As he saw Pollard get down on one knee, he must have even thought he’d got under the bat on a pitch where the spinners had kept the odd ball low. Instead Pollard slogged it hard to midwicket, flat and dangerous. Hogg came around, and flung his hand at it, but was probably lucky it didn’t take his hand for six as well.This was now horrible for Doherty. Much like in Adelaide.Doherty’s often been thought of as a good limited-overs bowler, but many were shocked when he was brought into the Australian Test squad. The man had a stutter ball, was often calm under pressure and had good control, but nothing about him screamed Test bowler. He was clearly brought in as the left-arm equivalent of Nathan Haurtiz, a stocker bowler who could keep the run-rate down.In Adelaide, Kevin Pietersen ruined that theory. Pietersen looked like he wanted to take out all his previous bad-form frustration and problems with losing the captaincy out on Doherty. It was brutal punishment, and the one thing Doherty was supposed to do, he couldn’t. Pietersen was simply too good, too aggressive, and Doherty was yanked from attack between the 65th to the 103rd over. Bowling between overs 65 to 80 was one of the main reasons he was in the side in the first place.Yet again he had a KP tormenting him. And his fourth ball was a low full toss, the one that is supposed to be hard to hit. Pollard hit it hard. He cleared long-off with it. West Indies had now scored 19 runs off the over, and were 199.Doherty’s over was now beyond horrible, and there were still two balls left. Doherty bowled seam when he was a kid, and he resorted to what seamers do when the batsmen is hitting them everywhere. Full and straight. Perhaps Pollard moved back in the crease, maybe Doherty missed the blockhole by an inch or two, but Pollard just blew it away for another six.The West Indies had now jumped the magical 200-mark. Even the superhuman Shane Watson would struggle to get Australia there. The last ball from Doherty was much like when he took the wicket of KP in Adelaide, it meant nothing; all the damage was done, and would be replayed for years to come. Pollard slicing the ball to long-off was not a victory for Australia, Doherty or Bailey; it was just a chance to leave the field.By the time Bailey was next involved in the game, Australia could not win the match. Bailey played perhaps his best innings for Australia. It showed guts, determination, took a swipe at his many detractors and was the only reason Australia made it to triple-figures. There was proper anger in his batting, he really wanted to make a mark. It was also like screaming at a hurricane.For Doherty there was no fightback, saving grace or moral victory; he was simply the victim. The only screams for Doherty were screams of laughter from the people who’ve never had to bowl the last over of an innings at two of nature’s perfect killers while the cricket world watches.

Plays of the day from the only T20I between Sri Lanka and India in Pallekele

Abhishek Purohit in Pallekele07-Aug-2012The field changeAshok Dinda was almost about to start in his run up to bowl the second delivery of the 18th over when he asked MS Dhoni to move fine leg into the circle. Consequently, Virat Kohli jogged back from mid-off to long-off. Dinda hurled it in full to Dinesh Chandimal who mistimed a heave for Kohli to move a few paces to his right and take the catch. Dinda punched the air, delighted his move had paid off.The slog(s)Twenty20 reduces even an opener, and a pretty good one, into a slogger. Gautam Gambhir swung at his third delivery, but escaped as he was dropped at deep square leg. He swung at another one, but mistimed it to mid-on. The third time, he did not connect. The fourth time, he missed again and was bowled.The stroke(s)You could make out what kind of form Virat Kohli is in the way he dealt with the first ball Lasith Malinga bowled to him. It was a typical Malinga ball, low trajectory, full and swinging away just outside off stump. Kohli crouched low, bent his knees, stayed in the crease, and guided it with the swing to the deep backward point rope.Mahela Jayawardene is a master at deft touches. The first ball of Umesh Yadav’s second over was similar to the delivery Malinga bowled to Kohli. Jayawardene tackled it just like Kohli had; in fact, he ran it even finer, past the slip to the third-man rope.The celebrationDhoni is not given to being expressive at the fall of a wicket. But when Thisara Perera was given run-out by the third umpire off a Manoj Tiwary direct hit, Dhoni celebrated in peculiar fashion. He smiled broadly, and trotted over extravagantly towards Tiwary, taking small steps and swinging his arms all the time. The act was played a couple of times on the giant screen at the ground, and the crowd loved it.

Jonathan Trott’s return to form echoed a triumph for his team that came in spite of conditions, precedent and circumstances

George Dobell in Nagpur17-Dec-2012The contrasting fortunes of two men told the story of this game and the current position of their respective sides. While one, Jonathan Trott, finished a difficult year with a series-clinching century, the other, Sachin Tendulkar, ended it in the dressing room suffering from a sore neck and shoulders. When you have carried the hopes of a nation for two decades, these things will happen.It was fitting that Trott should seal the result. His difficulties have reflected those of his side throughout the year. Starting 2012 with a big reputation, he was brought down to earth in the UAE and struggled against Dale Steyn in the series against South Africa. But the selectors stuck with him, he worked hard and he overcame. This was his eighth Test century and his first since Galle in March. He also passed 1,000 Test runs for the year during this innings.The hour after lunch was a golden one for England. To see two batsmen stretch their partnership past 200, answer the questions about their form and slam the door on any lingering Indian hopes was to see the rehabilitation of this England side. This success does not make up for a disappointing year and England are not the finished article but they, at least, back on track.For this series victory represents one of the finest in England’s history. It will not make the impact of an Ashes victory – it does not have the history or capture the British public imagination in the same way – but, in the circumstances, this is as least as impressive an achievement as winning the Ashes in Australia for the first time in 24 years in 2010-11 and winning the World T20 in the Caribbean in 2010.Everything was weighted against them: India’s home record; England’s record in Asia and India in particular; England’s record against spin; the loss of Steven Finn; the loss of three important tosses; the preparation of the pitches; the lack of spin provided to them in the warm-up games; and defeat in the first Test of the series.And yet England won. They won a series in India for the first time since 1984-85; they won a series in Asia (excluding those in Bangladesh) for the first time since 2001; they won in a country where they had won just one Test since 1985; their batsmen showed they had learned to play spin; their bowlers proved more adept than the hosts’ on pitches made to suit India; and they showed the spirit to fight back from the loss in Ahmedabad. A series that began under the cloud of Pietersen-gate, ended with a unified team dealing calmly and positively with every obstacle placed in their way. In stark contrast to earlier tours, not once did an England player complain about the pitches, the hotels, the heat or the tactics. They simply embraced a no-excuse environment and got on with it.

England’s previous series wins in India

1933-34 – England win 2-0
India’s inaugural home Test series ended with two heavy defeats to Douglas Jardine’s tourists, though they emerged with some credit from the second four-day Test, which they drew after following on. Yorkshire’s slow left-armer Hedley Verity claimed 23 wickets at 16.82, as England won by nine wickets at Mumbai’s Gymkhana Ground and 202 runs in Chennai. After pushing England hard at Lord’s in 1932, a greater test had been expected but, as Wisden reported, the “great strength of the visiting side created a feeling of inevitable inferiority before a game began and so had a disheartening influence.”
1976-77 – England win 3-1
Led by Tony Greig and based on a formidable bowling attack, this was England’s most comprehensive triumph in India, the five-game series secured with big victories in each of the first three Tests. John Lever, on debut, took 10 for 70 in an innings win in Delhi and ended up with 26 wickets at 14.61, while Derek Underwood (29) and Bob Willis (20) each averaged less than 20. Greig’s painstaking 103 from 347 balls in Kolkata was one of only three centuries in the entire series and even accusations of Vaseline-based ball-tampering could not derail England, as India collapsed to 83 all out in Chennai.
1985-85 – England win 2-1
The only other time India have lost a series at home after taking the lead. To a backdrop of unrest – India’s prime minister Indira Gandhi and British deputy high commissioner Percy Norris were assassinated in separate incidents before the first Test – David Gower’s side recovered from defeat in Mumbai to win the second Test in Delhi and the fourth in Chennai, where Mike Gatting and Graeme Fowler became the first pair of England batsman to score double-hundreds in the same Test. Gatting made 575 runs at 95.83 in five matches, while the mercurial left-arm spinner Phil Edmonds was ‘reintegrated’ to good effect by Gower.

It was Alastair Cook that led the way. His century in Ahmedabad, in vain though it was, showed his colleagues what could be achieved. Gradually more players contributed in each Test. In Mumbai, Kevin Pietersen played an innings laced with genius and Monty Panesar – described by Cook as “a captain’s dream” – showed his quality. In Kolkata, Trott rediscovered his form, James Anderson – who took three times as many wickets as the next most successful seamer and was described as “the major difference between the sides” by MS Dhoni – his nip and Steven Finn demonstrated his value; then in Nagpur Joe Root showed his promise and Ian Bell provided a reminder of his class. Through it all, Cook, Matt Prior and Graeme Swann performed with understated excellence.Bell recovering his form saw one of the final pieces fall into place in England’s jigsaw. It had been 25 Test innings since his last century and, before this, he had averaged 18 in India on his three tours. While the latter portion of his innings was somewhat soft, the initial part was important: had he or Trott fallen early, India would have had an opening. It would be wrong to diminish the importance of this, his 17th Test century.Andy Flower will, quite rightly, gain many plaudits. But it is worth recalling the influence of Peter Moores, too. It was Moores who gave big breaks to Swann, Anderson and Prior and Moores who first called-up Trott into the England limited-overs set-up. It was Moores, too, who set-up the Academy and Lions systems that have helped the likes Finn and Root move seamlessly from the county to the international game. He really is one of the unsung heroes of England cricket.Perhaps it was fitting, too, that Tendulkar should finish the series on the treatment bench, figuratively if not literally. He now represents the old India. A team that, whatever their past excellence, is now tired and in need of refreshing. He deserves to depart on a grander stage than this drab draw on an awful pitch at Nagpur, but ‘deserve’ has little to do with it. His reputation, as a player and ambassador for the game is assured, but time defeats us all. The success of Cheteshwar Pujara has shown there is talent and dedication available in India. It just requires a culture change to realise it.

Jonathan Trott’s return to form echoed a triumph for his team that came in spite of conditions, precedent and circumstances

George Dobell in Nagpur17-Dec-2012The contrasting fortunes of two men told the story of this game and the current position of their respective sides. While one, Jonathan Trott, finished a difficult year with a series-clinching century, the other, Sachin Tendulkar, ended it in the dressing room suffering from a sore neck and shoulders. When you have carried the hopes of a nation for two decades, these things will happen.It was fitting that Trott should seal the result. His difficulties have reflected those of his side throughout the year. Starting 2012 with a big reputation, he was brought down to earth in the UAE and struggled against Dale Steyn in the series against South Africa. But the selectors stuck with him, he worked hard and he overcame. This was his eighth Test century and his first since Galle in March. He also passed 1,000 Test runs for the year during this innings.The hour after lunch was a golden one for England. To see two batsmen stretch their partnership past 200, answer the questions about their form and slam the door on any lingering Indian hopes was to see the rehabilitation of this England side. This success does not make up for a disappointing year and England are not the finished article but they, at least, back on track.For this series victory represents one of the finest in England’s history. It will not make the impact of an Ashes victory – it does not have the history or capture the British public imagination in the same way – but, in the circumstances, this is as least as impressive an achievement as winning the Ashes in Australia for the first time in 24 years in 2010-11 and winning the World T20 in the Caribbean in 2010.Everything was weighted against them: India’s home record; England’s record in Asia and India in particular; England’s record against spin; the loss of Steven Finn; the loss of three important tosses; the preparation of the pitches; the lack of spin provided to them in the warm-up games; and defeat in the first Test of the series.And yet England won. They won a series in India for the first time since 1984-85; they won a series in Asia (excluding those in Bangladesh) for the first time since 2001; they won in a country where they had won just one Test since 1985; their batsmen showed they had learned to play spin; their bowlers proved more adept than the hosts’ on pitches made to suit India; and they showed the spirit to fight back from the loss in Ahmedabad. A series that began under the cloud of Pietersen-gate, ended with a unified team dealing calmly and positively with every obstacle placed in their way. In stark contrast to earlier tours, not once did an England player complain about the pitches, the hotels, the heat or the tactics. They simply embraced a no-excuse environment and got on with it.England’s previous series wins in India

1933-34 – England win 2-0
India’s inaugural home Test series ended with two heavy defeats to Douglas Jardine’s tourists, though they emerged with some credit from the second four-day Test, which they drew after following on. Yorkshire’s slow left-armer Hedley Verity claimed 23 wickets at 16.82, as England won by nine wickets at Mumbai’s Gymkhana Ground and 202 runs in Chennai. After pushing England hard at Lord’s in 1932, a greater test had been expected but, as Wisden reported, the “great strength of the visiting side created a feeling of inevitable inferiority before a game began and so had a disheartening influence.”
1976-77 – England win 3-1
Led by Tony Greig and based on a formidable bowling attack, this was England’s most comprehensive triumph in India, the five-game series secured with big victories in each of the first three Tests. John Lever, on debut, took 10 for 70 in an innings win in Delhi and ended up with 26 wickets at 14.61, while Derek Underwood (29) and Bob Willis (20) each averaged less than 20. Greig’s painstaking 103 from 347 balls in Kolkata was one of only three centuries in the entire series and even accusations of Vaseline-based ball-tampering could not derail England, as India collapsed to 83 all out in Chennai.
1985-85 – England win 2-1
The only other time India have lost a series at home after taking the lead. To a backdrop of unrest – India’s prime minister Indira Gandhi and British deputy high commissioner Percy Norris were assassinated in separate incidents before the first Test – David Gower’s side recovered from defeat in Mumbai to win the second Test in Delhi and the fourth in Chennai, where Mike Gatting and Graeme Fowler became the first pair of England batsman to score double-hundreds in the same Test. Gatting made 575 runs at 95.83 in five matches, while the mercurial left-arm spinner Phil Edmonds was ‘reintegrated’ to good effect by Gower.

It was Alastair Cook that led the way. His century in Ahmedabad, in vain though it was, showed his colleagues what could be achieved. Gradually more players contributed in each Test. In Mumbai, Kevin Pietersen played an innings laced with genius and Monty Panesar – described by Cook as “a captain’s dream” – showed his quality. In Kolkata, Trott rediscovered his form, James Anderson – who took three times as many wickets as the next most successful seamer and was described as “the major difference between the sides” by MS Dhoni – his nip and Steven Finn demonstrated his value; then in Nagpur Joe Root showed his promise and Ian Bell provided a reminder of his class. Through it all, Cook, Matt Prior and Graeme Swann performed with understated excellence.Bell recovering his form saw one of the final pieces fall into place in England’s jigsaw. It had been 25 Test innings since his last century and, before this, he had averaged 18 in India on his three tours. While the latter portion of his innings was somewhat soft, the initial part was important: had he or Trott fallen early, India would have had an opening. It would be wrong to diminish the importance of this, his 17th Test century.Andy Flower will, quite rightly, gain many plaudits. But it is worth recalling the influence of Peter Moores, too. It was Moores who gave big breaks to Swann, Anderson and Prior and Moores who first called-up Trott into the England limited-overs set-up. It was Moores, too, who set-up the Academy and Lions systems that have helped the likes Finn and Root move seamlessly from the county to the international game. He really is one of the unsung heroes of England cricket.Perhaps it was fitting, too, that Tendulkar should finish the series on the treatment bench, figuratively if not literally. He now represents the old India. A team that, whatever their past excellence, is now tired and in need of refreshing. He deserves to depart on a grander stage than this drab draw on an awful pitch at Nagpur, but ‘deserve’ has little to do with it. His reputation, as a player and ambassador for the game is assured, but time defeats us all. The success of Cheteshwar Pujara has shown there is talent and dedication available in India. It just requires a culture change to realise it.

The phoney war is over

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013

The phoney war is over. After a build-up consisting of a couple of press conferences, some interviews, bits of general non-specific build-up, and, idiotically, no actual cricket to set the scene and establish the rivalry, the 2009 Ashes today makes its long-awaited transition from media frenzy into reality. I am a 34¾ -year-old father of two, and I am, frankly, a bit giddy with excitement.At 11am, the world will gather around its TV sets and watch in amazement, as Aleem Dar emerges from the umpires’ module in the Cardiff pavilion, strides down onto the outfield where no man has previously stepped (at least, not in a Test match), and utters the immortal words: “Two small steps for two men (umpires, specifically), one giant leap for mankind (or, at least, the subset of mankind that consists of the cricket-watching publics of England and Australia).”(Incidentally, so incredible was the 2005 Ashes that cynics have suggested that the entire series was a forgery, filmed in a studio in Texas, to stop the Russians hosting the perfect cricket series first. They cite as evidence Matthew Hoggard’s cover drive for four at Trent Bridge, a shot they claim was so unlikely and outlandish as to have been a patent hoax. And Ricky Ponting clearly flapped when he shouldn’t have flapped.)Here, then, is the Unremittingly Official Confectionery Stall List Of The Six Factors That Will Decide This Ashes Series (excluding the six most obvious factors that will define the destiny of the urn, namely: (1) batsmen, (2) bowlers, (3) fielders, (4) wicketkeepers, (5) umpires, and (6) the magic bionic knuckle Nathan Hauritz bought from a backstreet alchemist’s shop in Cardiff yesterday).Luck
Lady Luck is notoriously one of the world’s more fickle females, to the extent that many now question her suitability as a peer of the realm and role model to millions. Nevertheless, the flighty temptress absolutely loves cricket, keeps interfering with it, and will undoubtedly pay a visit to the Tests at some point.In what appears likely to be a close-fought series, both sides would be well advised to get down on their bendiest available knees, offer to take her out for an extremely expensive meal, and beg her to be nice to them.Four years ago, England, although the dominant team for most of the decisive part of the series, still needed some giant splodges of fortune custard dolloped on top of their otherwise excellent cricket crumble. They won 2-1. They could have won 3-1. They could also have lost 4-0, if Edgbaston, Trent Bridge and the Oval had taken slightly different courses at critical moments.Admittedly, a 4-0 scoreline would have been the greatest miscarriage of sporting justice since Goliath was posthumously awarded the Slinger Of The Match medallion by a home-town adjudicator from the Philistine Board Of Single Combat. However, 4-0 could easily have happened. And, if it had, I don’t think I would ever have left my house again. And nor would any other self-respecting England cricket fan. (Have left their houses, not mine.) (In case there was some confusion.)These prime slices of honey-roasted luck included:− an inquisitive little cricket ball deciding to take a peek at the ground underneath Glenn McGrath’s foot on the first morning of the 2nd Test;
− Brett Lee seeing the juiciest imaginable wide, low full-toss with only four needed to win at Edgbaston, but failing to juice it;
− the marginal caught behind decision against Kasprowicz immediately afterwards, which was clearly out in all but reality;
− Pietersen’s first-ball edge off Warne on the final day at The Oval, which was heading straight towards the safe hands of Hayden at slip until it thought, “Hang on, do I really want to deprive the watching millions of one of the great modern innings? No, I do not, I’m going to deflect off Gilchrist’s gloves and take the battering I deserve”;
− the boundaries at The Oval not being set a quarter of a mile deeper, out in the streets of South London, otherwise Pietersen’s hooks for six off Lee could easily have been caught; and
− Don Bradman being born in 1908, as opposed to 1978.
Upon such slender threads…Balls (1)
Which, if either, leader will be prepared to whip out his captaincy cojones, thud them both down on red, and spin the roulette wheel?Ponting may be known as Punter (partly due to his youthful love of gambling, partly due to his predilection for propelling himself slowly up rivers with a long pole), but as captain he has not always donned a cavalier’s hat (the rarest headgear in Test cricket after the sombrero (which has not been seen in an Ashes Test since Douglas Jardine famously ‘went Mexican’ in the final Bodyline Test, charged down the wicket to Bert Ironmonger shouting ‘it’s chimichanga time’, and spooned a catch to Vic Richardson)).In the Caribbean this year, the Strauss-Flower axis showed itself to be not merely risk-averse, but risk-allergic. The mere concept of taking a calculated gamble in an effort to recover from 1-0 down in the series seemed to bring them out in hives of indecision. At some point, they will need to shut their eyes, glug down a powerful tactical anti-histamine, and pray that they are not allergic to that as well.Injuries
McGrath’s ankle was arguably the single most influential factor in 2005. He had taken 9 for 82 at Lord’s. He took 10 for 358 in the rest of the series. If only he had trodden on a cricket ball before every Ashes Test he played in, there might be a few more MBEs floating around English cricket.Brett Lee is already out of at least one Test, probably more − a major disappointment for the series, as, with his pace, attitude and vulnerability to counterattack, it is scientifically impossible to conceive of cricket being dull whilst he is bowling. Australia are thus denied a fearsome-looking and perfectly balanced pace quartet. Regardless of Lee’s statistically unimpressive record in this country, and Australia’s victory in South Africa without him, this is a potentially decisive development.His absence leaves Ponting and Katich as the Australian bowlers with most Test wickets in England, each boasting a grand total of one. If they remain at the top of that chart come the end of the Oval Test, England will be either deliriously parading around Trafalgar Square in an open-topped bus, or catastrophically embarrassed. Whilst Andy Flower tries to explain to an angry press conference why occasional left-arm wrist spin and dobbly medium pacers are the toughest types of bowling to face in Test cricket these days.It seems almost inconceivable that Flintoff will last for five Tests, although the entire English cricketing nation will spend the next seven weeks rubbing soothing lotions and tinctures into its Big Freddie voodoo dolls. Pietersen is irreplaceable, in terms of talent, tempo and temperament. If Cook or Strauss is injured, England have no Test-hardened cover.But the key injury victim could be an unexpected one – Nathan Hauritz. Following his unimpressive performances in the warm-up games, and the rest of his career to date, the off-form offie will be keeping a sharp eye on his team-mates.I am not suggesting that they will deliberately injure Hauritz. Far from it. But I am suggesting that, if they see him walking down the road, unaware that an especially slippery looking banana skin lies ahead on the pavement … well, they might not warn him quite as quickly and loudly as they would alert Mitchell Johnson in the same scenario.And then, when it subsequently emerges that McGain, Krezja, White and the rest have mysteriously all simultaneously lost their passports and been handcuffed to a lamppost in Alice Springs, Ponting will make a televised appeal to the patriotic nature of a certain member of the TV commentary team, and the rest will be talkative history.Balls (2)
Recent research shows that most British cows, when facing up to the icy, mechanised hand of death, spend their final conscious moments hoping that their leathery hides will be made into Test-grade cricket balls. A lucky few beasts will be unwittingly playing potentially pivotal roles in this summer’s action, and how they choose to behave in the hands of Anderson and Johnson could dictate the series.The Australians will have to adapt to the unfamiliar Duke ball, which is different to the Kookaburra used down under, which is made, I believe, of a fossilised platypus egg coated in a beer-soaked kangaroo pouch.Stepping up to the plate
In competitive eating, ‘stepping up to the plate’ is merely phase one in a campaign of intestinal mayhem, base camp on the Everest of Herculean Hot-Doggery.In the Ashes, however, both teams will need new heroes not just to step up to the plate, but to dive into that plate face first, with the fearlessness of an angry wife in a shopping centre, and keep eating up until victory is assured.Each side is likely to start today with only three of their first-choice XI from 2005, and many reputations will be made and broken in this series. Is Hussey the untouchable perfectionist who averaged 85 in his first 20 Tests, or the uncertain grinder who averages 30 in his the last year and a half? Is Cook’s Test average of 45 that of a maturing master bordering on world-class, or of a flat-track accumulator flattered by the age in which he plays?Will Broad ever be a major wicket-taker? Prior and Bopara certainly cut the mustard against West Indies, but the mustard was Scandivianly mild and came ready-cut. Will their cleaving be as effective against an altogether more nose-watering class of condiment? Is Pietersen able to dominate an entire series? Is Hughes the world’s next batting genius, or a flawed rookie with much to learn? Or both? I cannot remember a series in which there were so many uncertainties.Choke Management
In 2005, England arguably managed to choke three times − in the second innings (with bat and ball) at Edgbaston, chasing at Trent Bridge, and on the final morning at the Oval – but still win. Having stepped up to the plate, they found themselves struggling to keep their food down, but they managed to Heimlich themselves to safety each time.In Adelaide, they collectively turned a slight tickle in the throat into paroxysmic spasms of self-asphyxiation. If the series is close, the side better able to suppress the early splutterings of a choke, should emerge triumphant.OFFICIAL CONFECTIONERY STALL SERIES PREDICTIONI have absolutely no idea what will happen. Both sides have enough question marks hanging over them to punctuate a Spanish quiz book. So I will guess that Australia will win 3-1. I hope I’m wrong. England can certainly win, but I think the English media underestimate the Australian pace attack (even without Lee). England have lost their last two late-summer home series. And I am a born pessimist. Roll on 11 o’clock.

From Gopal Rangachary, India
While the cricketing world spent the last week rejoicing at the end of Australia’s era of domination, and celebrating the definitive Tendulkar innings, a quite extraordinary set of events were quietly unfolding

Cricinfo25-Feb-2013Gopal Rangachary, India
While the cricketing world spent the last week rejoicing at the end of Australia’s era of domination, and celebrating the definitive Tendulkar innings, a quite extraordinary set of events were quietly unfolding themselves in Napier, New Zealand. No – it wasnt that Chanderpaul got a first ball duck, or that Chris Gayle batted 5 sessions – but that the Test match, and hence the Test series ended in a draw.Well – the basement battle between two uninspiring sides ended in a draw. Nothing to write home about you would think. But, especially if you were Tony Cozier or one of the long suffering West Indies cricket journalists, this was a red letter day. For the first time in 13 years, and after 17 series (since the English summer of 1995), West Indies were NOT beaten in an overseas Test series ( of course let’s leave the pseudo Tests against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh out). To put this in perspective, for the entire duration of Saurav Ganguly’s Test career, West Indies lost every overseas tour they went on.Chanderpaul is the only West Indies player to have tasted anything but defeat in this period. A closer reading is even more depressing. In the 60 matches that were played across those 17 series, West Indies won just 4, drew 6 ( of which 4 were rain-affected) and lost the other 50 matches. What is most mind-numbing is to recall that West Indies were unbeaten in 27 test series in the preceding 15 years (1980-1995). They fell off a particularly steep cliff didn’t they?There have been a few false dawns in these dark days of West Indies cricket – particularly at home. They have won Test series against Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka , England and New Zealand, and shared one with Australia. Despite the Perth heroics of de Villiers & Co., they still hold the record for the highest 4th innings target chased. Lara has played several memorable innings, Chanderpaul many valiant ones, Courtney Walsh became the leading wicket taker in world cricket and even Chris Gayle has a Test triple hundred. However, with the West Indies, it has seemed every step forward was inevitably followed by three longer ones backward.That said, there is some reason for cautious optimism in the Chris Gayle era – A first ever Test win in South Africa, a drawn Test series against a decent SL side, a Test series against Australia which was much more competitive than was anticipated, and now this drawn one in New Zealand . Of course the backdrop to this has been the Bradmanesque efforts of the under-appreciated Chanderpaul in this period, but there have been other signs of life – Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor are a handy bowling partnership, Dwayne Bravo is enthusiastic and talented, and the fielding and the general way that the West Indies seem to be going about their business has significantly improved.There are many areas to fix though, scarcely a series goes by without wrangling between Digicel and Cable and Wireless (although the toxic West Indies Players Association and the obnoxious Dinanath Ramnarine seem to have evaporated), Allen Stanford has funded the game, but muddied the waters, and the regional infighting seems to grow in inverse proportion to the team’s performance on the field. Darren Powell shouldn’t see the inside of a Test ground again, and surely there must be someone other than Dinesh Ramdin and Carlton Baugh. Chris Gayle needs to find an opening batsman who will be a partner rather than a one-night stand. However this draw against a mediocre New Zealand side may just be the beginning of the era of the era of West Indies submission.If only that maniac, John Bracewell had been around as NZ coach, the West Indies may even have won it.

Lessons to be learnt from series gone past

Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013Four of the six Test series played so far in the 2012-13 season have been followed by an ODI showdown between the teams involved, tagged on for the commercial and logistical hell of it, as so many ODI series are nowadays, like a bowl of porridge after a Michelin-starred meal. Bowls of porridge have their virtues. They can be tasty and nutritious. If properly prepared. And served at the right time. Which, most food-scheduling experts would agree, is at breakfast, before ‒ not after ‒ your main meal of the day.All four Test series produced decisive, almost worryingly dominant victors. West Indies won both Tests in Bangladesh, averaging 64 runs per wicket and registering their third and fourth away wins in the 46 away Tests they have played since 2003 (one of the other two victories was also in Bangladesh, whilst the other, in South Africa in 2007-08, was one of their only two away Test wins against top-eight opposition since 1996-97). England, after a disastrously sluggish Ahmedabad beginning against a misleadingly potent India, soundly beat their decreasingly competent hosts in every facet of the Test game.Australia clobbered a Sri Lankan team whose seam attack was statistically the third-least effective bunch of visiting pacemen to play a series of three of more Tests in Baggy Greenland in the last 85 years, averaging 59 against an Australian batting line-up that is by no means the third-best to play a home series in the last 85 years. South Africa eviscerated a weakened but nonetheless historically abject New Zealand, in one of the most imbalanced Test series of recent years, a cricketing equivalent of Shark v Baguette in a Who Has The Most Teeth? competition.In the ODI series that followed, the best result any of the four triumphant Test nations secured was Australia’s slightly fortuitous 2-2 draw with Sri Lanka. West Indies lost 3-2 to Bangladesh. England began their series in India well with the bat, and ended it well with the ball, but were soundly curdled in the three decisive matches in between. The Kiwis bounced back from their record-breaking Test mauling to win the ODI series, and came within one ball of scoring a 3-0 whitewash. Sri Lanka thrashed Australia in Adelaide, humiliated their batting in Brisbane, and were in position to claim a 3-1 lead when rain intervened in the Sydney game, before losing in Hobart to end with a 2-2 series draw, and compensating themselves by claiming the best collective average (24) by a visiting seam attack on an ODI tour of Australia in 17 years. And by then winning the two T20Is.We thus have the slightly peculiar situation of four teams who should be taking some long, hard baths with themselves over their performance in the Test arena, ending proceedings in triumph.So what conclusions can we draw from all this? You decide, from the following options:(a) That one-day cricket would be more exciting and relevant if it was played before Test series, as a rivalry-establishing curtain-raiser before the most important phase of the action begins. Test cricket is the Undisputable Pinnacle Of The Game As Everyone Keeps Saying, Even If That Is Not Always Obvious In The Way The World Game Is Managed, and needs and deserves to be scheduled as such.(b) That one-day cricket would be less exciting and relevant if it was played before Test series. The underdog has a better chance of victory in the shorter formats, and this is further enhanced if the overdog thinks he has done his job already, and has settled down for its afternoon snooze. Besides, one-day cricket deserves more than to be relegated to a warm-up slot when more people want to see it than the supposed headline act.(c) That it makes no difference when one-day series are played. It is a different format with different teams. As it T20. So relax. Besides, cricket is only a game. Or, to be more accurate, cricket is only three games. And we should appreciate each for its own qualities.(d) None of the above. And none of anything else. These were just one set of coincidental results.Write down your answer on a piece of paper, hide it in a hole in the ground for 50 years, then dig it up, consult with a passer-by over whether or not Test and ODI cricket still exist, and decide whether you were right, wrong, or somewhere in between.● I am still not entirely sure what all of the latest tweaks to the ODI format are, or what they mean for the game. As a cricket fan, I have to make an executive decision whether to attempt to assimilate the latest alterations into my brain, or to assume that they will soon be jettisoned, re-altered, de-altered, superseded or rotated with a squad of other new regulations to keep them all fresh and motivated, and instead devote my valuable remaining headspace to more lasting and valuable knowledge, such as when my children’s birthdays are this year, international advice on how to safely address Shane Warne and Marlon Samuels in a potential combat situation, and where in the kitchen my wife might possibly have hidden the food processor.From what little I have seen so far, the reduction to a maximum of four fielders outside the 30-yard circle will have a major impact on how the one-day game is played, but, personally, I would still like to see more regulations pre-emptively regulated into existence to prevent further staleness in the format.I have previously suggested an additional Powerplay in which the batting team’s captain controls the fielding side for five overs of mayhem. I remain befuddled that the authorities have not implemented this. TV viewing figures would go through all available roofs. I would also like the following to be implemented:‒ Two further Powerplays, in which (a) either captain can opt to revert to the regulations from a previous era of ODI cricket, and (b) the batsman can designate exactly what ball the bowler has to bowl in the first three balls of the over, but then has to tell the bowler exactly what shot he is going to play for the last three deliveries.‒ Rather than the curious use of two balls throughout the innings, each over should be bowled with a different ball selected at random from a specially adapted silo filled with hundreds of cricket balls ranging in age from brand new to 150 overs old, plus, to add a much-needed element of unpredictability, a few large tomatoes.‒ A one-run bonus for any boundary hit with what a majority of a jury of cricket commentators judge to be a “proper cricket shot”.‒ Umpires to be replaced with warlocks.I have no idea what impact these changes would have on the game, but, as a means of maintaining or provoking interest in ODI cricket, they deserve ‒ no, demand ‒ to be trialled.● Ravi Jadeja’s 40.4 overs in the series against England cost only 142 runs, giving him an economy rate of 3.49 – the lowest by an Indian bowler who has bowled more than 20 overs in an ODI series since Zaheer Khan against Sri Lanka in 2008 (3.10 per over in 47 overs), and the lowest by an Indian spinner since Harbhajan Singh against South Africa in 2005-06 (3.42 per over in 40 overs).● James Tredwell was England’s best bowler in the series, taking 11 wickets in the five matches at an average of 18.18, and with a tidy economy rate of 4.25. The Kent Konniver thus recorded the lowest average by an England spinner who has bowled in four or more innings in an ODI series or tournament, edging out Graeme Swann (18.37 v India in 2011) and Vic Marks (18.92 in 1983 World Cup). Swann also occupies fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, tenth and 12th place on the list.Spinners have rarely been central to England’s ODI strategy, so the advent of the partially fathomable two-new-balls regulation has been celebrated with wild street parties across the nation. Swann, despite lean returns in the last year, has been comfortably England’s best one-day tweaker of the last 25 years, and needs two more wickets to become the first England spinner to take 100 in ODIs ‒ 32 tweakers and twirlers from other nations have done already passed that milestone. Tredwell’s 18.18 average might be groundbreaking by English standards, but it is not even in the top 100 ODI series or tournament averages by a spinner from anywhere else in the crickosphere (in four or more innings).

First let me just say that there is something about watching tall, lanky, lithe women, with flowing hair held back by headbands, display aggression – makes for compelling viewing

Vidya Hariharan25-Feb-2013Star Cricket’s interesting ad campaign and a certain sense of gender-based guilt has got me watching the women’s World Cup. I’m, what’s politely called, “a rabid cricket fan” – which means I will watch any match, anytime, anywhere.So. Back to the cricket. First let me just say that there is something about watching tall, lanky, lithe women, with flowing hair held back by headbands, display aggression – makes for compelling viewing. There’s not enough power. If you’ve been weaned on a steady diet of the male version of the game you do miss that. Strikes don’t go as far, the ball is not attacked as much and throws from the deep don’t make it back as quickly. That throws your viewing judgment off – hits don’t go to the boundary – even at Brabourne which has a decently fast outfield – and throws come back slower – so they run more runs than you expect. Your heart pumps and you are busy screaming at them to “not run on the throw” – only to realise that of course they can.Loved Mark Butcher’s pitch report – when he said – “The girls play as intensely but are a lot lighter – so as you can see, the pitch is in beautiful shape, even though we had a game yesterday!” The shapes are more interesting. Not as muscle-bound. More grace. Men – if you will excuse my bluntness – all look the same! So once the helmet is on – there’s not much to see. With the women – this is not the case. They remind me of the shape of the athletes in the eighties who used to play – before the gym and the bulk and the protein shakes all became mandatory.It’s a quieter, purer game. No commercials so you can see the on-field body-language, hear the comments and chatter between overs. That’s something I’ve always enjoyed about telecasts from other countries – because there isn’t as much velocity of commercial noise as with Indian broadcasts – you can really hear the sounds of the game.There’s a lot more camaraderie. Every single batsman who is dismissed has something to say to the incoming batsman and exchange a gentle glove bump. Never seen the men do that! They are usually too busy mouthing off at themselves, or shaking their head at perceived umpiring slights, to focus on the game.Our commentators struggle with nomenclature. I don’t understand why they insist on using the word batswoman – that’s like saying “chairwoman” – an archaic term which has now been replaced by the ubiquitous “chairman” – applied to both genders. I think language has to change to reflect context rather than gender. For example, I’m fine being called “Sir” – where the term is applied out of respect or to the leader of the pack!The interviews with the players are much more fun to hear. The women smile a lot more, they laugh delightedly, look a lot more relaxed, and tellingly – sound less “finished” and “prepared”. You can tell that the PR guys have not got at them as yet. One final plus, they have women commentators who are professionals- and not some mis-guided attempt at eye-candy, a trap which I was sorry to see the Big Bash League fall into this year. Wish they would keep them on in place of a certain Indian commentator who’s mangled, inaccurate commentary has all of us fans blushing in discomfiture. Can the best “man” please take over here?To use a food analogy, the overall experience is like having a sorbet – light, airy and refreshing. Love it. Will take it over any commercial brand of ice-cream or the Indian Kulfi – anyday!

Lancashire will expect to bounce straight back to Division One of the Championship but their bowling attack looks heavily reliant on veteran Glen Chapple

George Dobell01-Apr-2013Last year: Eighth (relegated), CC Div 1; Group stages, T20; Semi-finals, CB402012 in a nutshell: To suffer relegation the year after winning the Championship title was a major disappointment. Lancashire started slowly, losing three of their first four games, and never really recovered. They won just one Championship match all season; no team in either division won fewer. The problem was two-fold: the top-order batting failed to fire – Ashwell Prince was the only member of the top order to average over 30 and, along with Steven Croft and Paul Horton, one of only three men to make a Championship century all season; and Stephen Moore, so influential in 2011, failed to pass 50 – and the bowling remained over-reliant on Glen Chapple. Their CB40 form was far better. They topped Group A with more wins than any side in the country, but then came unstuck against Warwickshire in the semi-finals. They also started well in the T20 but then fell away sharply, failing to win any of their last four games. Ajmal Shadzad and Sajid Mahmood were released at the end of the season. Gary Keedy moved to Surrey.2013 prospects: Lancashire have never spent more than a season in the lower division and will be expected to win an immediate return to Division One. With a newly develop ground and big-money naming-rights deal, they will have a large budget advantage on some of their Division Two rivals, but competition for those top two places is likely to be extremely competitive. The level of expectation could become a burden. Lancashire have taken steps to strengthen the areas of weakness from last year: they have retained Ashwell Prince as a Kolpak registration and signed Simon Katich as overseas player, which should add substance to the batting; and they have signed Kabir Ali and Wayne White to add some pace and bite to the seam bowling. But the bowling remains a bit of a concern. Kabir’s fitness record is not encouraging and White, while he has pace, is not the most consistent. The club remain uncomfortably reliant on Chapple, who was 39 in January. The plethora of allrounders should prove an asset in the limited-overs formats, though a lack of bite from the seamers is a concern in the Championship. In the longer-term, there may be growing concerns about the quality of players developing through the club. The production line that used to produce fine seam bowlers has ground to something approaching a halt in the last few years.Key player: It is only three years since 32-year-old Kabir was signed by Hampshire in a big-money transfer from Worcestershire. The move didn’t really work out due to a serious knee injury sustained early in the contract and Kabir joins Lancashire with some doubts over his long-term fitness. If he is injury-free, he remains a high-quality bowler and could prove a valuable acquisition. But if he misses vast chunks of the season, Lancashire are left with a batch of bits and pieces allrounders and useful medium-pacers to support Chapple.Bright young thing: Such was Simon Kerrigan’s influence on the Championship success of 2011 it may appear he has been around too long for inclusion in this category. But he is only 23 and remains a work in progress. A relatively fast, aggressive left-arm spin bowler, he could well be pressing for Monty Panesar’s England spot before the year is out.Captain/coach: Last year’s relegation was a rare setback for Peter Moores at county level. Having won the Championship at two clubs, he remains a major asset as head coach. Chapple is the captain, with Mike Watkinson the director of cricket.ESPNcricinfo’s verdict: The players brought in should help Lancashire challenge for promotion, but that will not mask longer-term concerns about the quality of players developing at the club. Should remain competitive in limited-overs formats.