Mark Richardson is the sort of batsman you don’t really travel miles to watch, but want in your side when the going gets tough. On a scorching day at Rajkot he held one end up in a manner that would have made Gary Kirsten proud, defying all manner of pace and spin. Forget Kirsten, it would have made John Wright proud, and that means a great deal to Richardson.”He [Wright] probably doesn’t know it but he is my role model,” said Richardson, pouring buckets of sweat after his marathon 381-minute stint at the crease. “I know when I was a kid and when I was playing backyard cricket, I wanted to be John Wright. Once I started batting, he’s the guy I tried to model my game on a little bit. I admire the way he played and if I could go half as well as him, I’d be pretty pleased.”But it could not always have been Wright as a role model, for Richardson began his first-class career as a left-arm spinner. When that began to fail, he put his head down and re-invented himself. “The fact was that I lost my bowling. I couldn’t bowl and I wanted to play first-class cricket. I started to play as a batsman and I would get very nervous waiting to bat so the best way to overcome the nerves was to bat first. I like the lifestyle of a first-class cricketer and I didn’t want to work in a factory or anything. I had to find a way of performing so I just put my head down and really self-taught my batting,” he said, as though it were a matter of snapping his fingers. Few people in the history of the game have gone from batting No. 11 to opening with such aplomb. Ravi Shastri springs readily to mind, but he again was a tough cookie mentally.”Ninety percent of batting today was mental, wanting to survive the whole day. This is my first bat in a game for probably three months since we returned from Sri Lanka,” he admitted. “We have done a lot of work in the nets but you can only do such much in the nets. I was desperate to get time in the middle and didn’t want to throw my wicket away cheaply but I hope I haven’t used all my luck up.” People who watched him bat will tell you there was hardly any luck involved in the course of Richardson’s unbeaten 128.Then again, there’s little reason to be surprised. Richardson had success in Sri Lanka on similar wickets. He puts his success down to a sound gameplan. “I just graft away. The wickets over in Sri Lanka were pretty flat. I put my head down and did what I know best. I don’t struggle overly with the heat. I find it tough but I’ve never had trouble with heat stroke or anything like that. I was just sticking to my gameplan, and it hasn’t changed in the last four years. I just stuck to that and hoped it would get me through.” He admits, though, that his technique against spin needs working on. “I am not overly happy with the way I play spin but I have got a technique that sort of works. I have had a bit of success with it and I just stick with it.”There’s so much talk of planning in this New Zealand camp that you might get the impression that the rest of the cricket world just walks out to the middle and has a whack. Pre-tour jousting began with talks of New Zealand’s special training camps where the accent was on mimicking Indian conditions. After scoring a century the good old-fashioned way, Richardson did the world a favour by debunking some of these myths. “We’ve done a lot of work about being accountable for our gameplans. We’ve only really had nets so we have tried to make the nets as close to game scenarios as we can and I think that does help when you go out to the middle rather than just treating net time as a bit of a hit. I don’t know if we are overly innovative but what we have worked on is being really, really dedicated in the way we train.”For some strange reason, that approach almost always seems to work.

All Today’s Yesterdays – October 29 down the yearsOctober 28 | October 301877
Birth of the man Neville Cardus described as “Yorkshire cricket personified”. Wilfred Rhodes was arguably England’s best-ever allrounder, a fine strokemaker who started his Test career at No. 11 and ended up opening the batting, and a slow left-armer so precise and cunning in flight that the great Victor Trumper once implored,”For God’s sake Wilfred, give me a minute’s rest”. Rhodes was the oldest man to play Test cricket (at 52 years 165 days in West Indies in 1929-30) and the only man to have a Test career spanning over 30 years (1899-1930). He took a record 4187 first-class wickets, at a cost of only 16.71 apiece. His finest Test moments came at Melbourne: in 1903-04 he took 15 for 124, the 11th-best match figures of all time, and eight years later he matched Jack Hobbs run for run in an opening partnership of 323, England’s highest in Ashes Tests. He lost his eyesight in later life, and died in Dorset in 1973.2000
The mother of all one-day thrashings. In the Champions Trophy final at Sharjah Sri Lanka spanked India by a staggering 245 runs, the biggest win in ODI history until Australia beat Namibia by 256 runs in the 2003 World Cup. Sanath Jayasuriya went berserk, slamming 189 off 161 balls with 21 fours and four sixes. It equalled the second-highest individual score in a one-dayer, made by Viv Richards against England in 1984. Venkatesh Prasad took the most flak, with his seven overs disappearing for 73. As if that wasn’t bad enough, India then collapsed for 54, their lowest one-day total and the third-lowest of them all. Only Robin Singh reached double figures, with Chaminda Vaas taking 5 for 14 and Muttiah Muralitharan 3 for 6.1974
From the moment he faced his first ball in Test cricket with England on an unprecedented 2 for 4 at Johannesburg in 1999-2000, Michael Vaughan, who was born today, has looked the part. After his career started badly – blighted by injuries – Vaughan quickly established himself as an integral part of the England batting line-up. In 23 Tests before the start of the Ashes series in 2002, he averaged a healthy 47.50. With a very successful home series against India the same summer as an opening bat, during which he also plundered his career best 197, Vaughan confirmed he is a natural successor to Mike Atherton, whose unflappable nature he shares. In Australia, Vaughan averaged 63.3 and hit up three stylish hundreds, by far the most successful English batsman on tour. But greater challenges were ahead; after Nasser Hussain quit midway through the home series against South Africa, Vaughan had to rev up a demoralised team, which he did admirably to draw the series from 2-1 down in the final Test.1971
For some time Matthew Hayden, who was born on this day, was seen the Australian Graeme Hick – a destroyer on good wickets but short of that certain something at the top level. All that changed in 2001, when he cracked 549 runs – an Australian record for a three-match series – in India, followed by runs galore against England and South Africa. He finished with 1391 Test runs, an Australian record for any calendar year, and carried on where he left off the following season, with an heroic seven-hour 119 in stifling heat against Pakistan in Sharjah. More was to come. Against Zimbabwe at Perth, Hayden smashed 380 in quick time, breaking Brian Lara’s record of 375 in five sessions.1935
Birth of the underestimated David Allen, who played 39 Tests for England in the 1960s. He was a very useful offspinner and a handy lower-order batsman with five Test fifties and a top score of 88, at Christchurch in 1965-66. He also famously played out a rampant Wes Hall’s last over to secure a draw at Lord’s in 1963, with Colin Cowdrey, fractured arm in plaster, looking on at the non-striker’s end. With the ball Allen was consistent and steady, but he did win a couple of Test matches for his country, at Durban in 1964-65 and at Sydney a year later. He took 1209 first-class wickets, most in a 19-year career with Gloucestershire.1971
It’s a sign of the fearsome strength-in-depth of Australian cricket that Greg Blewett, who was born today, is nowhere near their Test side, because he would breeze into any other team in the world. He made three sumptuous hundreds in his first three Ashes Tests, but his finest hour came against South Africa in Johannesburg in 1996-97, when he and Steve Waugh batted throughout the third day for a fifth-wicket partnership of 385. So why isn’t he in the side? Well, he struggles against spin, for a start: Mushtaq Ahmed embarrassed him in 1995-96, and even Robert Croft snared him three times in 1997. And for all the luxuriance of his better performances, Blewett does only average an under-par 34 from his 46 Tests.1984
The first 199 in Test history. Mudassar Nazar fell at the final hurdle when he was caught behind off Shivlal Yadav in the second Test between Pakistan and India at Faisalabad. It was a fad that soon caught on: Mohammad Azharuddin, Matthew Elliott, Sanath Jayasuriya, Steve Waugh and Andy Flower have all since made 199 in a Test – but of the six, only Elliott (at Headingley in 1997) has been on the winning side. This one ended in a draw: Mudassar added 250 for the second wicket with Qasim Omar, who went on to grind out 210 in 685 minutes.Other birthdays
1870 Charles Eady (Australia)
1915 Dennis Brookes (England)
1941 Bryan Yuile (New Zealand)
1946 Anura Tennekoon (Sri Lanka)
1969 Dougie Brown (England)
1973 Adam Bacher (South Africa)

If the rumours are to be believed, Steve Harmison, England’s injury-prone fast bowler, might have done a little too much moaning and not enough bowling of late for the likes of England’s selectors. With the England squad for the tour of the Caribbean set to be named shortly, the noises from those close to the England camp are that Harmison could well find himself in the wilderness.Harmison missed the current series of Sri Lanka after breaking down in Bangladesh, and reports hint that the management were not overly impressed with his attitude while he was in Bangladesh. He returned home with the aim of getting himself ready for the second leg of the trip, but failed an eve-of-tour fitness test and missed out. One reporter accompanying the side said that Harmison had been “considered history ever since he failed to return”.In September he was not awarded a central contract, something of a surpise to many, but, according to insiders, a move aimed at giving him a kick up the backside. If that was the intention, it seems to have failed.Since arriving back from Bangladesh, Harmison has shown a marked reluctance to travel from his home in Durham to the National Academy in Loughborough for ongoing treatment, something that has not gone down well with selectors or been unnoticed by the tour party.Although Harmison is a matchwinner, he is a notoriously poor tourist with a record of returning home early. England may well prefer to take a gamble on two other players recovering from injury – Simon Jones and Andy Caddick – rather than be seen to be rewarding someone with a questionable attitude.The squad should have been named this week, but a minor operation on David Graveney has delayed the selectors’ meeting for a few days.

The financial ramifications of England’s refusal to play in Zimbabwe during the 2003 World Cup continue to be felt, but a report in the Daily Telegraph claims that the brunt of the cutbacks caused by the loss of income will fall on club cricket.Barrie Stuart-King, chief executive of the Club Cricket Conference (CCC) and a member of the ECB’s recreational advisory group, told the CCC’s annual dinner that central funding to clubs was set to be cut to a far greater extent than it was to the first-class counties.He also revealed that a deficit of between £2-4 million had been unearthed in the ECB’s pension fund for staff and umpires.”The reasons for the cut include the uncertainty over the fine yet to be imposed for the England-Zimbabwe fiasco, estimated at £1.3 million, and the recently discovered black hole in the ECB staff and umpires’ pension fund," Stuart-King explained. "Neither has anything to do with recreational cricket.”And he delivered a stinging attack on the way that the funding was effectively controlled by “18 private members’ clubs” – the professional counties. "The ECB’s idea of ‘one game’ is a joke,” he said, but he admitted that the lower levels of the game were powerless to do anything but accept their fate.

Western Australia 427 for 9 (Goodwin 156, Rogers 94) v Queensland 280 for 7 (Perren 95
Scorecard

Beau Casson mesmerised the Queensland middle-order, as Western Australia moved towards a first-innings lead in their Pura Cup match at Perth. Chasing WA’s 427 for 9, the Bulls collapsed to 280 for 7 at stumps, after losing five wickets for 23 in the last hour.Up until that point, Queensland had been racing into the distance at 207 for 1. But Casson claimed the vital scalp of Martin Love for 66, via a sharp chance to Justin Langer at slip, and the momentum tumbled away. Clinton Perren then fell for 95 to a controversial lbw decision, before Ben Edmondson bounced back from an early mauling to have Chris Simpson caught behind for 4.But with Stuart Law still standing, Queensland seemed certain to weather the storm. He failed to pick Casson’s googly in the first over of a new spell, however, and was clean bowled for 39. Casson then trapped wicketkeeper Wade Seccombe three balls later, as the Bulls stumbled towards the close.Edmondson completed the late rally by removing James Hopes (3) and finished with figures of 2 for 4 from his final four of the day. It was a fine turnaround after being thumped for five straight boundaries by Law. Queensland’s slump mirrored WA’s effort yesterday when they stumbled from 363 for 3 to be 378 for 6 at the close.Western Australia had earlier meandered to 427 for 9 when Justin Langer declared.

Until the end of the Indian tour of Pakistan, we will be running a daily Paper Round of what newspapers in India and Pakistan, and from around the world, are saying about this series. This is what the media had to say today:Bishan Singh Bedi has toured Pakistan over and over, as player and journalist. He told Cricket News, “There is much to gain, and far more to lose, depending on how we use the present.”On the day Bedi was unusually shy of controversy. “There is much to rake up from the past and people looking for stories would find heaps of them on umpiring and other controversial stands. But we shouldn’t forget that Imran and Sarfraz were outstanding cricketers. They were just too good even with the old ball. I have never seen any cricketer in my life who worked as hard on his fitness as Imran did. I am yet to come across a cricketer who punished his body as Imran used to do. I call him General.”Bedi warned against blowing things out of proportion. “I am sure both teams would play tough cricket and that’s the way it should be. There could be the occasional show of temper but it’s part of the game and could happen anywhere. Only because it is India and Pakistan, it shouldn’t be blown out of proportion. There could be a few who would look to play spoilsport but the majority could — and should — generate goodwill. The long-term promise of this tour should never be lost.”* * *Andy Watkinson, a pitch consultant of the ICC, has said that pitches for the forthcoming India – Pakistan series would have something in them for the bowlers. “Pakistan have some really good fast bowlers and also a few good spinners. So the pitches will have to help their fast bowlers and, later, their spinners. You basically want a result. You want the first three days of the match to be even, where the ball comes on to the bat well and there’s some pace and even bounce. You then want things to start happening after that and the ball starting to turn. So that all skills are tested. But that’s a bit idealistic — I don’t get briefs to prepare pitches a particular way.”Watkinson, who is overseeing the preparation and maintenance of pitches in Pakistan, says that he left matters in able hands. “I left detailed instructions with Aga Zaheed, who’s in charge, Basheer, the head groundsman, and Rameez Raja. These have to do with general maintenance. I’m sure things are fine and everything’s been done according to specifications. But I’ll have to go there first.”Watkinson would not be drawn into speculation about the exact nature of wickets. “Oh, I can’t really promise anything. That’ll be a bit foolish. I don’t know how things have progressed since I left. Ask me that after I’ve reached Pakistan.”* * *Fazal Mahmood, the former Pakistan captain and fast bowler, has told The Telegraph, Kolkata, that players should keep it simple to obtain best results. “The more faithful you are (to the basics), better the chances of success.”He dismissed contentions that the teams, and specifically Shoaib Akhtar, would be under severe pressure. “Actually, I don’t really understand this pressure bit… I suppose, though, it’s going to depend on how he copes with the responsibility… It’s difficult for me, or anybody else, to comment. What I can point out is that he’s a matchwinner, something he proved as recently as in Wellington when he bowled New Zealand out for peanuts.”Fazal had a kind word for Irfan Pathan. “Very promising… Has a positive approach, but needs to guard against injuries. I’m sure he will go a long way once he completes one year of big-time cricket without a fitness-related lay-off.”* * *Tickets for the India-Pakistan series are now being sold online. Click here to book yourself a ringside seat.

ScorecardDay 5Bulletin – New Zealand win despite defiant RudolphDay 4Bulletin – Martin spell pushes South Africa to the brink
News – Tuffey to miss third TestDay 3Bulletin – Cairns sparkles in a run-fest
Day 2Bulletin – Styris and Martin make it New Zealand’s day
News – Pollock becomes South Africa’s leading wicket-takerDay 1Bulletin – Smith and Gibbs make it South Africa’s day

Wisden Cricinfo speaks exclusively to United States captain Richard Staple in the aftermath of the qualification for the Champions Trophy in SeptemberWhat’s been the reaction to your team qualifying?
Joy and happiness. This win has done a lot for cricket here judging by the response. It’s getting out that we won the tournament, and the awareness is much greater now.What sort of feedback have you had from the non-cricket community?
We’ve received some calls from politicians. It’s an election year. That’s always good for publicity, bringing the game into the public forum.How much preparation was there before the tournament?
We had a camp in Florida as most of our players are from the north-east. Mostly net sessions – we didn’t play for months. We had Faoud [Bacchus] as well as a few guys who live in Florida, like the former West Indian player Hamesh Anthony, assisting.Did you have any idea how quickly you had to win the last match to finishahead of Scotland?
About three-quarters of the way into the game we worked out we were going to have to win with two overs to spare.The batting was your strength – did you bank on that knowing the bowling would concede some runs?
Definitely. The wickets were batting tracks and we backed ourselves to bat second as we chase pretty well. We knew our bowling wasn’t as strong.In the build-up to the Champions Trophy, will you be looking for some more bowlers?
Yes, we have some good young fast bowlers. They were overlooked – I don’t know why, to be quite honest. There is a young boy named Imran Awan in Washington DC. He’s about the quickest we have in the country. and I think we are going to have to encourage young talent like him because our bowling attack is ageing. We have a lot of cricket prior to the Champions Trophy, so hopefully we can get a few young ones in.What was different about this squad to previous ones?
Clayton [Lambert] adds professionalism [which was] lacking in the previous sides. Normally, we would lose one or two wickets and then panic when chasing around 240. He keeps his cool, and allows the other players to play with a certain amount of relaxation.Should the ICC schedule more tournaments for the top six or so non-Test countries?
Yes. That would be great. We have been too inactive. We play a tournament and then don’t play for some time. Against teams like Holland, Scotland and Namibia, we can only improve.

Kiran More and Pranob Roy, the two selectors who accused Abhijit Kale of bribery, have filed separate affidavits supporting their claims.According to a report in , More’s wife submitted an affidavit claiming that Kale’s mother had travelled from Mumbai to the More residence in Gujarat, while the other statement – by one of Roy’s friends – claimed that Kale offered them a bribe at an airport.Currently being questioned by a disciplinary committee, Kale is unlikely to contest More’s wife’s claims – Kale told the committee that his mother had submitted his fitness certificate while she was in Gujarat – but will challenge the other affidavit. With lawyers barred from the disciplinary hearing, Kale will cross-examine Roy’s friend.Kale’s claims of innocence were upheld by Sourav Ganguly, who came out in support on a television news channel. “I find it difficult to believe that Kale offered bribes to the selection committee,” he said. “I have known him for a very long time and he is not the sort of person who will offer a bribe to anyone.”

Greg Chappell, the former Australian captain, says that the cricket authorities should consider exiling Zimbabwe from the international game in the same way that South Africa was boycotted during the 1970s and ’80s.”The international sporting community took a stand against South Africa,” said Chappell, “and I can’t see a difference between what happened there years ago and what’s happening in Zimbabwe now.”In making his comments, Chappell becomes one of a small handful of former Australian Test players to have publicly expressed reservations about the two-Test tour by Ricky Ponting’s side, which begins today.Chappell said the banning of matches against South Africa in response to their apartheid policies had “impacted on the reforms that eventually happened in that country”. A similar ban against Zimbabwe, he told News Limited, might also be in cricket’s best interests.”The situation in Zimbabwe – and to a lesser extent Bangladesh, who received full membership before they were ready – is causing harm to the game,” said Chappell. “The long-term effects won’t be known until it’s too late. The issues must be seriously debated.”Chappell concluded: “The situation in Zimbabwe is in danger of destroying cricket in that country and having a ripple effect around the world. There is a real concern around the cricket community at the moment at the state of the game.”The Australian team arrived in Zimbabwe last night. Their principal concern, it seemed, was complacency. “I think there’s a danger in all of the talk that they [Zimbabwe] are a weak side and we are going to finish off the games early and players are going to fuel their statistics,” remarked John Buchanan, Australia’s coach, as the players flew out. “I think if any side goes on tour with that state of mind they are vulnerable.”