England fans in Galle without tickets have been told they must pay prices that are up to ten times higher than those charged to Australian supporters only seven months ago

Andrew McGlashan in Galle24-Mar-2012Thousands of England fans who have descended upon Galle without tickets ahead of the first Test have been told they must pay prices that are up to ten times higher than those charged to Australian supporters only seven months ago.England’s more budget-conscious supporters assumed that they would be able to buy tickets casually and take advantage of local rates, but they have been told by Sri Lanka Cricket officials that they will be refused access to the grassy banks that offer cheaper vantage points in the stadium.Representatives of the Barmy Army, the unofficial yet influential England supporters’ group, met with representatives of SLC’s executive committee, and the Southern Province Cricket Association on Saturday, to be told that “foreigners” would have to remain in designated, high-price areas as SLC adopt a controversial two-tier pricing policy.Unless the position is reversed, most England fans face ticket costs at LKR 5,000 ($38) as the debt-ridden board takes advantage of the fact they have turned out in such force by attempting to ease its stricken financial position.Barmy Army Cricket tweeted: “Disappointing meet with the secretary of S province cric ass & SL exec committee member, no access to ‘foreigners’ on the grass bank.”Giles Wellington, a leading Barmy Army member, followed up: “We’re not comfortable with one price for locals and one for foreigners. Feelings are running high in some quarters. We know we are lucky to be here but we don’t want to feel we are being ripped off.”A Sri Lanka Cricket official indicated that they have now responded in part to Barmy Army entreaties by adding a further reduced-price area at LKR 1,000 ($8). Asanga Seneviratne, chairman of the tour organising committee, said: “Tickets are priced at LKR 5000 and LKR 1000 and anyone can purchase them. There are no restrictions.”Sri Lanka Cricket has severe financial problems after running up debts of $32.5 million to finance the building of two international stadiums in Hambantota and Pallekele, and to renovate the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, for the World Cup.Payments owed to players, dating back to the World Cup, were only fully settled less than two weeks ago after the state-owned Bank of Ceylon released 600 million rupees ($5 million) after discussions with the sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage.Presumably SLC has seen the visit of England, with its guaranteed high number of travelling supporters, as a chance to give the bottom line a much-needed boost. Sri Lanka is still seen as a good-value place to follow England overseas despite the struggling UK economy and its impact on the strength of the pound but the decision has shocked those who follow England on a shoestring.Those who have bought tickets in the UK before arriving as part of a package have paid up to Rs8,000 ($62), which still compares favourably to ticket prices for England’s home Tests and other overseas venues such as the previous Ashes tour.Many, though, avoid the high-end tickets that package-holiday companies must buy. What has inflamed the mood of these England fans is that they were given no indication of any change of policy in advance. For the previous Test at this ground, when Australia visited last August, tickets were pegged at LKR500 and even then the stadium was not sold out.A suggestion floated privately by one SLC official that locals could also be expected to pay LKR5000 (US$38) for a single day’s ticket seems to have been abandoned. That would have amounted to a weekly wage for a large proportion of the community.There was a mixed response from the England supporters at Galle as they watched England train. Some shrugged it off as understandable, given SLC’s financial predicament. Others told of personal donations to Sri Lanka cricket after the tsunami that devastated the Galle ground eight years ago and suggested that they now felt exploited.Supporters may now pick and choose to come to just one or two days of the Test, while the ancient Dutch Fort overlooking the ground should prepare to be overtaken by cricket watchers on Monday. At least the ice cream sellers on the ramparts will have a field day.Edited by David Hopps

Kedar Jadhav and Iqbal Abdulla powered West Zone to the finals of the Deodhar Trophy in a one-sided semi-final against East Zone at Mohali

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2012
ScorecardKedar Jadhav and Iqbal Abdulla powered West Zone to the final of the Deodhar Trophy in a one-sided semi-final against East Zone in Mohali. Jadhav’s 114, which came off only 69 balls, helped West Zone set up a daunting target, and left-arm spinner Abdulla strangled East Zone’s chase as he picked up 6 for 32.East elected to bowl and were soon put under pressure by openers Parthiv Patel (69) and Ajinkya Rahane (36), who racked up an 84-run opening partnership in good time. The departure of both openers brought Jadhav and Pujara (70) to the centre. By the time Jadhav was out, the partnership was worth 171 runs in 23.2 overs. None of the bowlers were spared from the onslaught. Later, Mumbai’s Suryakumar Yadav blasted three sixes and two fours in an 11-ball 27 to push West’s total beyond 300 and dent the fielding team’s confidence.With the momentum against them, East lost Dheeraj Jadhav in the second over to Jaydev Unadkat. However, it was the introduction of Abdulla inside the first 10 overs that derailed the chase. Abdulla spun a web around the batsmen and accounted for the next four wickets before East got to 100 runs. Saurabh Tiwary resisted the slide with his unbeaten 112 off 95 balls, but with other batsmen falling prey to Abdulla and Co, he was left stranded as the innings folded in the 40th over.Kedar Jadhav was awarded Man-of-the-match for setting up the win. West Zone now travel to Dharamsala for the final, which is on March 19. The second finalist will be decided tomorrow when Central Zone take on North Zone in Dharamsala.

ESPNcricinfo previews the 2nd match of IPL 2012 between Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils in Kolkata

The Preview by Sidharth Monga04-Apr-2012

Match facts

Thursday, April 5, Kolkata
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Fun and games can wait•AFP

Big picture

They are team-mates, opening partners and friends, but on Thursday, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir will knock gloves only at the toss, and will proceed to lead their respective IPL sides against each other. Personally, and internationally, if you were to take out Sehwag’s ODI double-century, the duo has had an ordinary time of it. Gambhir hasn’t scored a Test century in two years; Sehwag last managed one in November 2010. In that regard this could be a no-win situation: if they do really well as captains here, it won’t make any difference to their current standing in international cricket, but failure will add up.Sehwag’s team, Delhi Daredevils, knows failure well from last year when they finished last. Kolkata Knight Riders’ upswing under Gambhir, though, took them to the fourth spot. Daredevils, who have more ground to make, will have to do without Mahela Jayawardene, Kevin Pietersen and David Warner for the first few games, which will be a challenge. Knight Riders are more settled in that regard, and should start as favourites, especially given the home advantage of a traditionally tacky surface.

Players to watch

Australia may or may not be relieved at his absence in the Test series, but Knight Riders are sure elated with their new acquisition, the all-sorts fingerspinner from Trinidad, Sunil Narine. His economy-rate of under five and average of under 15 speak for themselves.Daredevils have tapped the West Indies Twenty20 freelance market to their advantage too, acquiring the services of the explosive allrounder Andre Russell. Like with Narine, there is no point holding back Russell either.

2011 head-to-head

Knight Riders and Daredevils played each other just once last year. Manoj Tiwary’s 61 off 47 balls took Knight Riders to 148. Daredevils never came to terms with the slowness of the Kotla surface, and lost by 17.

Stats and trivia

Rajasthan Royals’ batting fired collectively to break a run of four consecutive losses and consign Kings XI Punjab to their fourth defeat in five home games this season

The Report by Abhishek Purohit05-May-2012Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson scored a quick 36 and took two wickets•AFP

Rajasthan Royals’ batting fired collectively to break a run of four consecutive losses and consign Kings XI Punjab to their fourth defeat in five home games this season. Royals blazed away at the start after Rahul Dravid chose to bat on a greenish pitch, slowed down in the middle and picked up the pace at the death to post the highest total at Mohali this season.Their bowlers kept the home batsmen under pressure from the outset, and at no stage did Kings XI threaten to chase successfully, something which had been achieved in the four previous games at Mohali.Royals’ batsmen had been guilty recently of easing off after strong starts to post inadequate scores. Just when it looked today that the flurry of boundaries upfront from Dravid and Shane Watson would dissipate into another middling total, Brad Hodge and Johan Botha cracked 27 off the last two overs to ensure Royals finished close to the 180-mark which they were aiming for.When Dravid and Watson were pounding the Kings XI attack in their contrasting styles, Royals would have eyed 200. The duo took control after the in-form Ajinkya Rahane fell early to Ryan Harris. Dravid, enjoying the pace and bounce on the true pitch, launched an array of orthodox strokes, clipping and cover-driving Harris for three consecutive boundaries in the fourth over. Watson did it his way, powering Parvinder Awana down the ground for two fours and a six in consecutive balls in the sixth.The stand was worth 69 off 39 deliveries by the time Watson mishit Piyush Chawla to long-off. Dravid had already started to slow down. After breezing to 27 off 16, he managed 19 off the next 23 before slicing a drive off Harris to third man.Ashok Menaria, batting ahead of Hodge and Botha, hit Chawla for consecutive sixes, but could not capitalise on a dropped catch when on 29, to fall for 34 off 27. From 76 for 1 in the eighth over, Royals had meandered to 133 for 4 after 16.Hodge and Botha, though, were around for a final push. Azhar Mahmood was taken for 16 in the penultimate over and Harris, despite taking two more wickets, conceded 11 in the 20th.Faced with a stiff asking-rate right from the start, Kings XI needed Shaun Marsh and David Hussey to contribute. Watson began with a wicket-maiden, getting rid of Mandeep Singh.Shaun Tait, playing his first game of the season, proved difficult to score off with his combination of extreme pace, late swing and rare accuracy. With the overseas bowlers difficult to get away, Hussey tried to go after Siddharth Trivedi in the eighth over but only mishit a pull for Hodge to take a fine sliding catch running in from long-on.A thin line-up meant Marsh was Kings XI’s only realistic hope left, but he departed in the next over, stepping out to Botha but just managing to york himself. The asking-rate was almost eleven by this time, and long before formalities ended, Royals had ensured they would remain afloat this season.

Dennis Lillee quits MRF Pace Foundation, ending a 25-year association

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2012Former Australia fast bowler Dennis Lillee has decided to end to his association with the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, citing his desire to “not travel anymore”. He will oversee two more training camps, before ending his 25-year association with the fast-bowling academy.”It wasn’t an easy call. But then, one of the main reasons behind this decision is that I don’t want to travel anymore,” Lillee was quoted as saying in the . “I have decided not to stay away from my family for lengthy periods.”During his time with the academy, Lillee had worked with several India players. “Zaheer [Khan], Javagal Srinath and Venkatesh Prasad would top the list,” Lillee said, talking about the bowlers who trained with him. “Munaf Patel, to me, has been a disappointment. He had the natural gift of speed but someone has obviously misguided him to drop pace. S Sreesanth, too, is a big let down, for the talent he showcased …”Lillee said he would have liked to work with the BCCI in some capacity. “Yes, I was a bit disappointed,” he said. “I like to do things my way and sometimes that frightens people.”

Tim Wright, former chief executive of the Deccan Chargers, is suing the franchise for breach of contract, according to a report in the

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2012Tim Wright, former chief executive of the Deccan Chargers, is suing the franchise for breach of contract, according to a report in the . The case, a £10 million dispute, will be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Monday.Wright, who was formerly with IMG and involved with the IPL, has reportedly claimed his dismissal by the franchise in January 2009 amounts to a breach of contract. He joined the Chargers management after the first season of the IPL but, as per the report, was asked to move back to London to work and then told it would be better if the two parties went their separate ways. According to Wright, he was entitled to the £10 million payment as the contract ended and the decision to sue his former franchise was taken as a means of receiving his due.The report, however, quoted the franchise as saying Wright was “avoiding India for fear of being questioned by immigration officials/local police”. Wright is known to have rejected the allegation as “without any foundation whatsoever”. Wright won the right for his case to be heard in the UK, though the Chargers tried to convince the courts that India had jurisdiction.

Centuries by Chris Gayle and Kieran Powell, who put on 254 for the first wicket, put West Indies on the path to securing a sizeable first-innings lead, but a few late strikes after tea gave New Zealand an opening

The Report by Kanishkaa Balachandran27-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKieran Powell’s 134 was his maiden Test century•DigicelCricket.com/Brooks LaTouche Photography

Centuries by Chris Gayle and Kieran Powell, who put on 254 for the first wicket, put West Indies on the path to securing a sizeable first-innings lead, but a few late strikes after tea gave New Zealand an opening. Gayle and Powell extended the hosts’ dominance by batting out the morning session, but the other top-order batsmen couldn’t quite carry on after making starts. Assad Fudadin and Narsingh Deonarine made patient half-centuries to ensure West Indies didn’t capitulate after the start provided by the openers and, by stumps, their team still held the upper hand, leading by 91.New Zealand created opportunities with the swing on offer with the new ball, but once the batsmen had seen off that period, the visitors were left waiting for mistakes. New Zealand were hurt by the fact that their best and most experienced bowler, Daniel Vettori, couldn’t pick up a wicket. Kane Williamson bowled 20 overs, the most he has ever bowled in a Test, and picked up two.Gayle carried on from where he left off, piloting the innings. Given his stupendous limited-overs form, a Test century was there for the taking against a bowling attack low on confidence and form. Gayle started the day with a flat six over long-off off Vettori to take him to the nineties. Keen to reach his landmark in style he pulled a short delivery by Chris Martin and just about cleared the rope to get from 97 to 103. Gayle punched the air and acknowledged his 14th Test century, one that will be talked about for long, given it came after an exile of one-and-a-half years.New Zealand relied on Neil Wagner’s reverse swing to possibly sneak in a wicket or two with the old ball. With the ball swinging in sharply towards the pads, a silly mid-on and short midwicket was placed for the checked drive. It didn’t change New Zealand’s luck as Powell managed to chip it over midwicket and keep out the fuller deliveries. One one occasion, Gayle miscued an on-drive and yet managed to beat mid-on comfortably. It was that sort of morning for New Zealand.

Smart stats

• The 254-run stand between Chris Gayle and Kieran Powell is the fifth 250-plus stand for the opening wicket for West Indies. Four of the five have come in home Tests with the only away one coming against New Zealand.

• The partnership between Gayle and Powell is also the third-highest opening stand against New Zealand and the second-highest for West Indies.

• West Indies’ total of 442 is presently their fifth-highest against New Zealand in Tests since 1990. Their highest in the period remains the 660 in Wellington in 1995.

• The total of 442 is the second-highest at North Sound after Australia’s 479 in 2008. However, the number of overs in the innings (138) is the highest in a single innings at the venue.

• This is only the eighth time that both West Indies openers have scored hundreds in the same innings. The last time this happened was also against New Zealand in Hamilton in 1999.

• Powell’s century is his first in Tests. He has now scored 489 runs in 18 innings at 27.16 with one century and two fifties.

• With his 150, Gayle moved joint-third with Viv Richards and Everton Weekes on the list of West Indian batsmen with the most scores of 150 or more. Brian Lara heads the list with 19 such scores.

The patient Powell couldn’t resist a slash over gully that brought up the double-century opening stand, the ninth in West Indies history. It was also the highest partnership for any wicket by West Indies since December 2010, when Gayle last played a Test. It only underlined Gayle’s impact and how much his team missed him.Gayle offered his second chance of the innings when the ball turned, kissed the glove and lobbed to first slip where Ross Taylor fluffed a straightforward take. New Zealand didn’t get too many chances coming their way, and they will wonder what could have been had they halted Gayle on 36 yesterday.Gayle added only four to his score after lunch when he tried to clear Williamson over long-off but was caught well in front of the rope. Powell got to his maiden Test century with a flourish just as Gayle had done earlier, hittiing a boundary. There were two fielders placed in the deep on the on side and he managed to place it between them with a strong pull off Wagner. It was the first time in 13 years that both West Indies openers had hit centuries in an innings, the last pair being Sherwin Campbell and Adrian Griffith in Hamilton in 1999.The new ball, taken after 83 overs with West Indies at 269 for 1, posed questions straightaway as Doug Bracewell teased the left-handers with his inswing. There were a couple of marginal lbw shouts against Powell and Fudadin, but the ball looked to be missing the leg stump. The left-handed pair looked more comfortable with the ball swinging away as they fetched boundaries through the off side.Powell looked good to carry on to a big hundred when he took on Wagner for three consecutive fours through the off side, including a scoop over mid-off. However, he fell off the fourth, chasing a delivery well wide of the off stump and feathering an edge to the keeper to give a pumped-up Wagner his first Test wicket. Marlon Samuels survived a testing first delivery, deflected down the leg side, and a run-out. Samuels failed to carry on after making a start, inside-edging Martin to his leg stump. Martin struck again in the first ball of his next over when he had Shivnarine Chanderpaul gloving a snorter to Kruger van Wyk. It was his sixth first-ball duck and the third time he failed to score against New Zealand.The double-strike suddenly put West Indies on the back foot, but Deonarine and Fudadin did well to weather the storm. Fudadin played shots on both sides of the wicket and picked up seven boundaries, but, like Gayle, perished while going for the big hit. Denesh Ramdin chopped a short delivery onto his stumps shortly before close, joining the list of those who threw their wickets away.Deonarine played a couple of adventurous strokes, including a straight six off Wagner as he neared his fifty. As a statement of intent, he swung the last ball of the day for a boundary. New Zealand did well to script a comeback in the final session, but another tough day awaits.

Gareth Batty led Surrey to their first Championship victory since he was appointed captain by taking 6 for 83 to secure a dramatic eight-run victory over Middlesex

Tim Wigmore at The Oval18-Aug-2012
ScorecardGareth Batty took six second-innings wickets including the crucial final strike•Getty Images

Gareth Batty led Surrey to their first Championship victory since he was appointed captain by taking 6 for 83 to secure a dramatic eight-run victory over Middlesex which improved their chances of avoiding relegation in a deeply traumatic season.When Batty trapped Toby Roland-Jones lbw, it concluded the second nerve-shredding derby between the two teams in the Championship this season, following Middlesex’s three-run win at Lord’s in April. Batty said: “For everything that’s gone on this season, it was a must win. I dread to thank what would have happened if we hadn’t won.”Batty admitted the pressure had been on him and Murali Kartik to respond to the spinning pitch that had been prepared and by combining for 16 wickets in the match they certainty did that. He singled out Kartik for a “magnificent” display after he bowled 44 overs unchanged on the final day while conceding under two an over for his three wickets. Given the success of their two spinners in home conditions, Surrey will regret only having one more Championship game at The Oval this season.After Middlesex were nine wickets down with 57 runs required, Surrey might have anticipated their victory would arrive with minimal drama. But Tim Murtagh and Roland-Jones displayed sufficient confidence in their batting abilities to avoid the temptation to slog, and sensibly accumulated singles. In total, they added 48 runs from 29.1 overs to follow on from their last-wicket stand of 44 in the first innings.Surrey’s appeals were understandably becoming increasingly desperate, as even taking the second new ball initially failed to break their stand, before Batty’s match-ending intervention.The morning provided few signs of the later drama. In the first hour and a half, the spin twins claimed six wickets, and there could have been several more given the number of vociferous leg-before appeals, and the amount of time the ball whistled past the edge. From the moment Kartik claimed Sam Robson caught at slip to the sixth ball of the day, a delivery that turned and bounced sharply, the morning’s tone was set.With the ball fizzing off the surface, sharp turn and few loose deliveries, Middlesex, save for Dawid Malan, were rendered virtually strokeless, allowing the spinners to establish a rhythm.Batty was rewarded for posting a leg slip to his own bowling, with both nightwatchman Tom Smith and Neil Dexter sharply caught there by Kartik attempting to work the ball to leg. Even more unusually, Andrew Balbirnie was out to Kartik in what could only be described as a case of ‘chest before wicket’, as he fell over missing an attempted sweep.After’s Malan’s neatly-compiled innings of 31 was ended by a brilliant one-handed catch off Kartik’s bowling, Middlesex were 101 for 7 and still required another 153 for victory. Given that Surrey had taken seven wickets for 58 going back to the dismissal of Chris Rogers just before the close of play on Friday, few gave them much hope.However, Steven Crook does not appear to be a man weighed down by prosaic reality. Sensing that cautious batting had allowed Surrey to crowd batsmen with close fielders Crook counter-attacked, though remaining positive rather than reckless. An early slog-sweep for six off Kartik indicated that he would eschew meek submission, with Crook’s intent also visible in his running between the wickets.Although there was still significant turn as the ball got older the bounce, crucial in several of the morning wickets, became less pronounced. In Adam Rossington, who was much less positive, Crook had a partner of real solidity. Amongst an enterprising innings that contained nine fours to go with his six, Crook’s sweeping and cutting were particularly impressive.If Surrey thought their first Championship win since the opening game of the season would arrive before members resorted to nail-biting, they were mistaken. As the threat offered by the spinners diminished, Batty turned to Jade Dernbach’s reverse swing, albeit a few overs later than many would have.In the second over of his spell, Dernbach deceived Crook on 67 with a slower-ball yorker, showing his one-day skills can be effective in first-class cricket too. It ended a partnership of 96, which was eroding the target at an increasingly uncomfortable rate. But as is often the case, the other man involved in a large stand lost concentration almost immediately after: Rossington edged Kartik to slip just two balls later, leaving Middlesex’s final pair requiring 57 runs for victory.After withstanding the remainder of Dernbach’s dangerous spell of reverse swing, Middlesex came closer than anyone imagined, but ultimately Surrey’s spin twins prevailed.

Pakistan want to reschedule their tour of Zimbabwe later this year, as it clashes with their proposed tour of India, ESPNcricinfo has learned

Umar Farooq01-Sep-2012Pakistan has sought a postponement of its tour of Zimbabwe later this year, as it clashes with a proposed tour of India. Pakistan are scheduled to tour Zimbabwe for a series of two Tests, three ODIs and two T20s from December to January but, having agreed to resume bilateral ties with India earlier this year, their winter schedule is likely to need some tweaking.The dates for the India visit haven’t been announced but the respective cricket boards had agreed to a short series over the Christmas period, between the Test and one-day legs of England’s tour of India. It will form the first bilateral series between the two sides since Pakistan toured India in end-2007.”We have requested Zimbabwe to reschedule the series because of the India-Pakistan series,” a PCB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo. “They agreed to work out another plan to host us so there is no way the series will be canceled. Instead the PCB and Zimbabwe Cricket are in discussions make it happen next year.”Pakistan do not have any international commitments scheduled from the end of the ICC World T20 in October till the tour of Zimbabwe, which is part of the Future Tours Programme. The dates for the tour hadn’t been finalised either. Pakistan last toured the country for a short series in 2011.

AB de Villiers has denied that keeping wicket affects his back, despite the prognosis that the wear and tear that side-lined him for three weeks was a result of an increased workload

Firdose Moonda in Sydney01-Nov-2012AB de Villiers has denied that keeping wicket affects his back, despite the prognosis that the wear and tear that sidelined him for three weeks was a result of an increased workload. De Villiers wants to continue as the Test gloveman despite his chronic condition and appears conflicted by what its seriousness may mean for his future in a dual role.The tour of England – in which De Villiers kept in all three Tests, five ODIs and three T20s – and the World T20, where South Africa played five matches, meant he had three months of continuous action. De Villiers’ back took such a beating that Mohammed Moosajee, the team manager, confirmed that if the trip to Sri Lanka had not been a major tournament, de Villiers would have been sent home earlier. Moosajee, who is also a medical doctor, said the cause of the injury was “overuse”.The national management asked for de Villiers to undergo a 21-day rehabilitation programme with no game time. He completed it last Friday and did not play any Champions League T20 matches, which led to him being declared fit for the match against Australia A that starts on Friday. De Villiers is expected to bat at No. 5 and take the gloves in all three Tests on the tour, and is confident his back will hold up.”They [the media] have made a massive thing out of it. My back’s not fractured and there are no missing bones. I’ve needed rest,” de Villiers said defiantly in Sydney, before conceding that the condition has lingered for a while and remains a worry.”It has been an issue for a long time now. It’s something I’ve got to look after and manage really well for the next few years. I don’t believe the keeping has played a massive part in that. I’ve felt a similar kind of thing with my back when I’m fielding. It’s not really the wicketkeeping. I’ve worked even harder in the field. It has been a few years coming now that this back [problem] has been developing into something serious. That’s why I needed a few weeks at home. I’ve got enough issues with my back to have needed that rest.”If Moosajee’s diagnosis is accurate, de Villiers may be right. The spike in back pain he has experienced is not solely because he is keeping wicket. It is a combination of glovework and batting, which is different to a combination of fielding and batting, that has caused the problem. For as long as he continues to do both, the risk of the recurrence exists.One of the solutions could be for de Villiers to move down the order, although he is reluctant to accept that. “I don’t believe keeping affects my batting,” he said. The numbers tell a different story. In six Tests in which de Villiers has performed both roles he averages 30.33, compared to 50.42 in the 71 he has not. He has also never scored a century while playing as designated wicketkeeper and has one half-century in the role, which he scored in 2004. On the recent England tour, de Villiers managed a top score of 47.But he has an explanation for that. “In England, I put in the hard yards and I gave myself the opportunity to go big,” he said. “I just never pushed on from the 40s. I got out a few good deliveries, especially at Lord’s where Steven Finn bowled me a really good ball. It’s almost as if I’m one knock away from people going, ‘Oh, my word – wicketkeeping is doing him so much good’.”If that doesn’t happen, though, de Villiers insists that he does not mind if his batting is adversely affected for the benefit of the unit as a whole. “I’ve always been big a believer in playing in a successful team. It’s much bigger than the individual. I believe it makes us a stronger side,” he said. “It gives us a better chance to perform really well if I’m taking the gloves; it opens up a spot. JP [Duminy] did really well with Vernon [Philander] there at seven and eight. It looked like the batting line-up would never end.”Part of de Villiers’ selflessness stems from being part of a team culture that he describes as being better than it ever was. “To have that feeling is something I’ve dreamed of all my life. I felt it in my last year at school when I really felt part of a team,” he said, talking about the schoolboy dream team he was part of at Afrikaans Seuns Hoërskool that included Faf du Plessis, Neil Wagner and Heino Kuhn. That team did not lose a match in two seasons and de Villiers believes South Africa is on the same path, especially as they have not lost a Test away from home since February 2010. “We enjoy each others’ company and each others’ successes.”Some of those achievements were only possible because of the longer batting line-up, as was evident at Lord’s in August. For that to continue, de Villiers has to manage his back carefully and has worked out how to do that. “The key is to look after my core very well. I’ve got to make sure my abs and core muscles are really strong to look after my back.”Moosajee said that in the longer term “decisions would have to be made”, implying that de Villiers may not be a permanent replacement for Mark Boucher, no matter how dedicated he is to the task. Should that be the case, de Villiers is confident replacement gloveman Thami Tsolekile, who is part of the squad in Australia, will have his back.”Absolutely, yes, he will. He has proven that over quite a few years in South Africa. He has been a very handy cricketer. He has won games for his provincial sides,” he said. “It’s nice to have him, with his experience, in the team. There’s no doubt when he gets the opportunity he’ll do well. I think he’s ready.”