All posts by h716a5.icu

England’s bowlers again kept Pakistan in a vice-like grip, after attacking innings from Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor, to secure another comprehensive victory

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jul-2013
ScorecardSarah Taylor held England’s innings together with her ninth T20 half-century•Getty ImagesEngland’s bowlers again kept Pakistan in a vice-like grip, after attacking innings from Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor, to secure another comprehensive victory. Danielle Wyatt claimed 3 for 16 and debutant Tash Farrant took two wickets in her second over as Pakistan were restricted to 75 for 6 from their 20 overs, well short of the 146 required for victory.Edwards opted to open with the spin of Wyatt and she claimed the wicket of Javeria Rauf with her sixth delivery. Wyatt picked up a second wicket in her second over and Farrant’s double-strike left Pakistan on 14 for 4. By the middle of the seventh over it was 23 for 5 before a 22-run stand between top-scorer Nahida Khan and Nida Dar.Wyatt removed Dar for 12 but, with 101 required from less than seven overs, the game was already up. Nahida finished on 28 from 48 balls, putting on 30 with captain Sana Mir.England’s captain, Edwards, had scored half-centuries in the two ODI wins over Pakistan earlier in the week and she set the tone again, with a 33-ball 46. Edwards and Taylor put on 57 for the second wicket and although Pakistan made regular incisions thereafter, Bismah Maroof picking up two wickets in the 16th over, Taylor held the innings together with ninth T20 half-century.

Round-up of the Women’s World Twenty20 qualifiers played in Dublin on July 31 and August 1, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2013Ireland booked their berth in the 2014 World Twenty20 by securing a two-run win against Netherlands in a closely fought third-place playoff at the YMCA Cricket Club in Dublin.The match, pushed to a reserve day due to heavy rains, went down to the last ball. Netherlands, chasing 137, needed a four to win, but Marloes Bratt could only parry straight down to long-on for a single. As a result of the victory, Ireland will join Sri Lanka and Pakistan in next year’s 10-team showpiece T20 event in Bangladesh.Ireland, put in to bat by Netherlands, had got off to a shaky start after opener Clare Shillington was caught behind by wicketkeeper Miranda Veringmeier off Braat in the first over. Ireland however hit back with an unbeaten 64-ball 72 from Isobel Joyce.Joyce struck six fours during her innings and put up a crucial 80-run second-wicket stand with Kim Garth to help take Ireland to 136 for 5 in 20 overs.Netherlands lost Veringmeier and Tessa van der Gun early in the chase, but recovered through a 53-run partnership for the third wicket between Helmien Rambaldo and Heather Siegers.Rambaldo scored 58 off 54 balls, with three fours, but Ireland managed to keep Netherland’s scoring rate from racing. Siegers was eventually run-out for 29, as Netherlands, facing an ever-increasing required-rate, needed 12 off the last over.Rambaldo remained at the crease, but failed to find a boundary, as seamer Laura Delany held her nerve in the final over to seal the win for Ireland.Sri Lanka and Pakistan will share the Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifiers title, after rain prematurely ended the qualifier final at the YMCA Cricket Club in Dublin. However, for ranking purposes, Sri Lanka finish the tournament as No. 1 as they had a better net run rate.Both teams had already booked their berths in the Women’s World T20 in Bangladesh next year after beating Netherlands and Ireland in the semi-finals respectively.Sri Lanka, electing to field, had restricted Pakistan to 112 in 20 overs, but as the rain began to pour down, the umpires had no choice but to postpone the final to a reserve day. Another pitch inspection in the morning of the reserve day ruled the outfield to be far too wet to play on, and the match was called off.Thailand defeated Zimbabwe by 25 runs (D/L method) in the Shield final in Dublin, after the match was cut short by rain.Somnarin Tippoch, the Player of the Match, spearheaded the bowling for Thailand, as they picked up wickets at regular intervals to restrict Zimbabwe to 85 for 6 in 20 overs. Zimbabwe could only manage two fours and one six throughout their innings, as Precious Marange, batting at No. 8, top-scored with 19.Chasing a modest total in wet conditions, openers Pundarika Prathanmitr and Tippoch put up an unbeaten 48 in seven overs before the match was called off due to rain and Thailand were way ahead of their par score of 23.The Shield third-place playoff between Canada and Japan was abandoned without a ball being bowled, despite the match being carried into the reserve day.

The report of Ravi Sawani, the former ACSU chief who investigated the corruption allegations involving three Rajasthan Royals players, has been handed over by BCCI president N Srinivasan to the BCCI’s disciplinary committee, comprising vice-presidents Nir

Amol Karhadkar28-Aug-2013The report of Ravi Sawani, the former ACSU chief who investigated the corruption allegations involving three Rajasthan Royals players, has been handed over by BCCI president N Srinivasan to the BCCI’s disciplinary committee, comprising vice-presidents Niranjan Shah and Arun Jaitley. This committee is then likely to present its findings at the BCCI annual general meeting in September-end.Sawani, the head of BCCI’s anti-corruption and security unit, was asked to investigate the spot-fixing allegations against Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan. It is understood that Sawani sent in his report directly to BCCI president N Srinivasan last month.Interestingly, Sawani finished his report without meeting Chandila, who has been in judicial custody of the Delhi Police since May 15. Although Chandila has made public comments recently, he has not met Sawani, who had met the other two arrested players and former domestic player Amit Singh, who allegedly played the role of the bookie, according to the police, Siddharth Trivedi and Harmeet Singh, both Royals players who agreed to be prosecution witnesses.It is understood that Sawani submitted his report in two parts: one without examination of the players and later a supplementary report which involved facts about his cross-examination of the accused. Once Chandila is released, Sawani is expected to include his version and then update his report.

Former Test cricketers Richard Hadlee, Martin Snedden and Geoff Allott are among eight recommended people likely to be voted in as NZC’s new board of directors

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Sep-2013Former Test cricketers Richard Hadlee, Martin Snedden and Geoff Allott are among eight recommended people who are likely to be voted in as New Zealand Cricket’s new board of directors.To be elected, each candidate needs more than 50% of the votes cast by the delegates representing all Major Associations and District Associations at a Special General Meeting in Auckland on September 19.The other five recommendations, selected by an appointments panel, were Greg Barclay, Neil Craig, Liz Dawson, Stuart Heal and Don Mackinnon, all of whom have experience in sport and corporate administration and governance. Barclay, Heal and Mackinnon are current NZC directors seeking re-election. The three former cricketers also have extensive experience in administration of the sport.”It was a difficult job selecting the eight candidates from a range of quality nominees,” NZC president Stephen Boock said. “I am confident that through this thorough process we have found a group of people with the combined skillsets to drive cricket forward in this country.”The upcoming vote is an outcome of the new NZC constitution that was approved in July.

A whopping 419 runs were scored in 88 overs on day two of the second unofficial Test in Dambulla, where Sri Lanka A emerged with a slight edge over New Zealand A

The Report by Andrew Fidel Fernando24-Sep-2013
ScorecardFile photo – Kithuruwan Vithanage’s sixth first-class ton took Sri Lanka to a huge total•AFPA whopping 419 runs were scored in 88 overs on day two of the second unofficial Test in Dambulla, where Sri Lanka A emerged with a slight edge over New Zealand A. Kithuruwan Vithanage’s sixth first-class hundred propelled the hosts towards their eventual 555 for 6 declared, before New Zealand responded with 224 for 4 at stumps. Captain Tom Latham’s 77 not out and Luke Ronchi’s unbeaten 60 from 67, saw the visitors recover from 140 for 4, but they remained 331 runs adrift.Vithanage had struck 32 not out from 33 the previous evening, and he was not shy of attacking New Zealand again, as he blazed to his hundred inside the first session. He had begun alongside Kaushal Silva, who might have held hopes for a double ton having been 150 overnight, but fell to the part-time medium pace of Carl Cachopa for 193, ending his 181-run association with Vithanage. 
Vithanage himself fell soon after lunch, having hit 20 fours and a six in his 127-ball 116, and Sri Lanka declared fewer than four overs after that. At the end of the innings, only three batsmen had fallen to the visitor’s frontline bowlers, who had also largely been expensive on a seemingly flat surface. Aside from Matt Henry and Andrew Ellis, no other bowler conceded less than 4.5 runs an over.New Zealand progressed even more quickly, scoring at 4.48 in the 50 overs they faced. Latham and Cachopa had begun solidly before Cachopa was caught behind off Nuwan Pradeep, with the score on 75. Anton Devcich then hit 39 runs off 37, but his dismissal to Ashan Priyanjan’s medium pace brought two more quick wickets, before Latham and Ronchi ensured their team would not slide further in the day. Priyanjan finished the day with 2 for 18, from his six overs.The overnight batsmen will hope to take New Zealand beyond the follow-on target of 355 when play resumes on Wednesday, while the hosts know they are two wickets away from the tail.

Alastair Cook has enjoyed a fine first year as captain of the England Test and ODI teams, but the failure to win the final of the Champions Trophy still hurts.

George Dobell11-Oct-2013By any standards, Alastair Cook has enjoyed a fine first year as captain of the England Test and ODI teams. In a role which is largely defined by Ashes success, England’s 3-0 victory over Australia stands out, though the Test series victory in India might well, in the long-term, be rated as the greater achievement. Either way, to have lost only one Test in 14 and won seven more is a fine record.Yet it is a reflection of Cook’s high standards and expectations that, when asked to reflect on his first year in charge, it is a failure that stands out.Failing to win the Champions Trophy final still hurts. England, with the game in their grasp, surrendered their chance to win a first global ODI trophy. With 16 balls to go and six wickets in hand, they required only 20 to win. In the end, though, India won by five runs.It is the first thing Cook mentions when reflecting on his year in charge.”We should have won that game,” Cook sighs. “We should have won that game of cricket chasing 130.”As a team we are always going to be disappointed by the Champions Trophy final. It took quite a long time to get over it. It was the same for me personally. The game was in our grasp. That was a tough day and I think it took us a long time to get over.”They were unique circumstances. To have a Champions Trophy and go straight into an Ashes within 10 days was tough. Losing knocked us down a bit more than we thought. We already started the Ashes a little bit jaded.”Cook on…

Simon Kerrigan as successor to Graeme Swann
Obviously we didn’t see the best of Kerrigan in that Test match. He bowled beautifully all year at Lancs and deserved his call up. It didn’t go as he’d wanted but he is a quality bowler and he will come back. Swanny has taken a lot of wickets and we’ve been lucky. Who knows when he will go, but let’s enjoy him now and cross that bridge when we get to it.
Sachin Tendulkar
There’s no words I can say that haven’t been said already. He’s phenomenal. He’s an absolute genius. Until you’ve been to India and seen what pressure he has played under… it’s sensational to do that under pressure for 24 years. 200 Tests is an incredible achievement. If it’s done again, I’d be very surprised.
Graeme Onions and the Ashes attack
If Jimmy Anderson did get injured, there is the possibility of bringing Graham Onions in as well. We want the best balanced attack we can have, but we do know that pace and bounce in Aus has proved to be successful. So you can see why we’ve gone for that attack. We think that’s key.
Andrew Strauss’ book
I’ve not read it, no. There’s no way he will be handing out freebies if I know Straussy. He will make me buy it. He doesn’t give away anything.
England’s brand of cricket
Yes, we know we’re in the entertainment industry. But I haven’t had anyone come up to me at the end of this summer and say they haven’t enjoyed it. It’s been the other way around. You get people saying “I can’t thank you enough for the amount of joy we’ve had from watching you guys this summer.” I haven’t heard anyone who has been moaning about it.
The popularity of Test cricket in England
As an England side we are incredibly well supported. Of course the Ashes sell out. But I’m pretty sure most of the first three days of any Test match I’ve played here have been pretty much sold out. That’s an incredible achievement by those running the game and the supporters. In England it’s thriving. But around the world you can watch Tests where there isn’t a huge crowd watching. But with my England cap on, at home or our travelling support, we’re very lucky.
Andy Flower’s future
I was with Andy yesterday and he’s as hungry as ever to continue our success with the opportunity to do something very special in Australia. To win the Ashes four times in a row would be an incredible achievement. When I see him I see a guy as hungry as ever.

Cook’s comments underline the high-priority England invested in the tournament. While the focus of the media and most spectators was upon the Ashes, England realised that the event presented an opportunity to win a global ODI trophy and reiterated the impression that, after years when Test cricket was the priority for England, showpiece, global limited-overs events are now held in equally high esteem. The 2015 World Cup is the next such target.”It was certainly a good tournament,” Cook said. “To have it in two weeks, with every game having meaning was sensational. Past World Cups haven’t felt like that. But we had an opportunity to win the Champions Trophy and the Ashes in a short space of time and we didn’t quite take it.”Cook also admitted that his relative struggles with the bat during the Ashes series – he averaged 27.70 – did “not sit easy with him.””It’s frustrating because I feel my game is in good order,” he said. “You don’t look at any career and see a constant upward curve. That’s what being a batsmen is. But it doesn’t sit easy with me to say that and accept it to be fine.”As a captain you want to lead from the front and score runs; that is your primary job. Particularly when you play your first Ashes series as captain.”But until you’ve gone through it you don’t really know what to expect. It is more intense, it is more heightened.”I don’t think that has affected my batting. It’s more of a bone of frustration. I still felt I contributed with three fifties and if you change fifties into hundreds it changes the complexion. I’m looking forward to putting that right.”When pushed, however, Cook did admit that England’s success in India was a considerable source of pride. Cook had assumed control of a divided team reeling from the Kevin Pietersen episode and facing one of its long-established fears: spinning wickets in Asia. Yet, despite considerable odds, Cook somehow untied the dressing room and led his side from one-down after the first Test to an admirable victory.”When you achieve something as special as that, it does reignite the side and squad,” Cook said. “That will be the series that, when I stop playing cricket and look back, I will think was special.”The next time we go to India, too, we will realise what we achieved. If you look where we were at the end of the second or third day of that first Test, I think it was an even greater achievement.”I can’t fault the lads – there is always going to be a bit or turmoil when a new captain comes in that – that is natural. I’d been captain of the ODI side, but when you lose someone like Andrew Strauss with the credit he’s got and the respect he’s got, there’s always going to be time to get used to it. But the lads responded to me and the way we’ve gone on, we can’t fault that. We need to draw on that in the next three months.”

Darren Sammy hopes the more-laid back environment provided by a tour of New Zealand will help his side recover from the two heavy Test defeats they suffered in India

Andrew McGlashan in Dunedin30-Nov-2013Darren Sammy hopes the more laid back environment provided by a tour of New Zealand will help his side recover from the two heavy Test defeats they suffered in India.West Indies could barely be facing more contrasting conditions: the heat and intensity of the subcontinent, dominated by Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell, have been replaced by the calm, green, temperate New Zealand.After a 30-hour journey that took them from India via Dubai, Bangkok, Sydney and then a night in Christchurch, where they met up with the advance party of Test players who have been facing a New Zealand XI, the squad arrived on a breezy, showery Dunedin today.”One minute you are in India in the hot, sunny atmosphere and the next you are in Dunedin where the breeze can blow you off your feet,” Sammy said, reflecting on the life of the international cricketer.He acknowledged that the change in conditions will be a tough test for his side – who are without the injured Chris Gayle at the top of the order – although he will have taken solace from seeing Shivnarine Chanderpaul making runs in the warm-up fixture.”The quick turnaround from India, getting used to the conditions and adapting as quickly as possible will pose a challenge,” Sammy said. “India was a lesson for us, to show us where we are compared to the top teams in the world. Now we are playing a team where we are evenly matched. They will know conditions very well and for around three-quarters of our squad it’s their first time here.”Sammy was being generous with the three-quarter estimate: now that Gayle is absent, only two of the squad – Chanderpaul and Denesh Ramdin – have Test experience in New Zealand, and Ramdin averages 7.14 in his five matches.”It’s a new environment,” Sammy added. “India is cricket crazy and it was all about Sachin – the media was all crazy, but here the guys can relax with not so many cameras in their faces all the time and we can focus more on the game.”The squad is not yet at its full complement with Shane Shillingford and Marlon Samuels having travelled to Perth for tests on their bowling actions after being reported in India. Ottis Gibson, the coach, is with them and the trio are due to arrive in Dunedin over the weekend. Currently, Shillingford and Samuels remain available for the first Test although that could change if the outcome of the testing goes against them.

This curtailed tour might not be the bumper series India’s fans and team had been building up towards, but it is one that still holds a lot of cricketing significance for them

Sidharth Monga in Johannesburg03-Dec-2013This was supposed to be India’s big tour. It was two years of home cricket in the making. India had even sent an A team here earlier in the year to become more familiar with the conditions. And it was a proper A team: except for Virat Kohli, all the Test batsmen in this side made the trip. Coach Duncan Fletcher himself dropped in. For a change, the cricketing wing of Team India was looking ahead, or possibly the change was that it was being paid heed to.It was a proper tour: three Tests, seven ODIs, two Twenty20s. Enough time to travel all over this beautiful country. Enough time to lose form, enough to regain it. Enough time for ups and downs and all the experiences a cricket tour brings. Enough time for rhythms to build. Except that the real world sometimes doesn’t agree with proper cricket. And so we have a tour not many are excited about. Three years ago “we are waiting” billboards welcomed India everywhere they went. This time around the local press seems to suggest only aggressive crowds are waiting to let their displeasure be known.The statistics being dug out are of the last time a team other than Zimbabwe, Bangladesh or the Associates came to South Africa for a tour of decent length but didn’t go to Cape Town at all. Incidentally, it happened back in November 2002 when Sri Lanka didn’t play any of their five ODIs and two Tests in the Mother City. Once the disappointment of a wasted tour subsides, though, you will realise it is still a significant trip for India. There is a “last” that happened with India much before the last time a visiting team didn’t go to Cape Town.The last time India went through such complete overhaul of batting, going to a proper – in terms of strength of opposition, not duration – tour with such a raw batting line-up, full of virtual debutants, was when Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, and later VVS Laxman, started to join Sachin Tendulkar in the middle order. All four properly came together incidentally on a tour of South Africa. In a way Tendulkar has not done India many favours by playing all the home Tests and then retiring before this tour. Those were matches a youngster could have used to gain experience before a year full of overseas assignments.Like the mutated tour, though, you have no choice but to be philosophical about this now. These batsmen still have it better than their predecessors. That the ODIs are before the Tests salvages the situation a bit for India. As MS Dhoni said before leaving for South Africa, the nature of that format and that it demands a more free-flowing game will help the young batting line-up get rid of early nerves before the two-Test series begins. In a way, the same can be said in the larger scheme of these batsmen’s careers too.When Dravid and Ganguly made their Test debut, in England, they had played five and two ODIs, and had barely seen the world outside India. Laxman was on a tour of South Africa before he had played an ODI. Only Virender Sehwag among that older group had with him a body of work in international cricket – 22 ODIs – before he became a Test cricketer.Almost all of the batsmen on this trip have had experience of being in international cricket before this tour. Rohit Sharma set the record for most ODIs before Test debut, Shikhar Dhawan faces Dale Steyn in the IPL nets, and Kohli has established himself as one of the best chasers in ODIs and captains the likes of AB de Villiers. Even though this batting line-up has a collective experience of three Tests in South Africa, they have the exposure, they are more worldly wise, more confident than Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman were when they were sent to face Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, a young and quick Lance Klusener, and Brian McMillan. The test now is of their skill, of their temperament, of how they adjust to the conditions, how they make the adjustment from facing Sammy and his friendly friends in Kanpur to Steyn and Co on pitches with bounce and seam.It’s not all about the batsmen, though. India’s famous overseas Test wins have of late been set up by their bowlers. They have also tended to escape a lot of flak because it has always been the great Indian batting line-up that has been expected to carry them through everywhere. This time around, under the mentorship of the returning Zaheer Khan, they will possibly be asked the same number of questions as the batsmen.Apart from Zaheer, only Ishant Sharma has played a Test in South Africa, and he doesn’t look like he will add to that tally. The bowlers, too, will rely on the ODIs to get used to the outfields on which they will run in, to condition themselves to bowl long spells, to find the lengths that will give them assistance. Like the batsmen, they might benefit from lower expectations.It is an unusual tour for India. One that promises to actually test how good India’s transition from the desperation of 2012 has been, but one that comes with lower expectations than those two away tours in which they were whitewashed. The ODI series, given South Africa’s recent form, is open – although South Africa might still fancy a few psychological blows on extra spicy pitches – but in the Tests you’d venture India will take anything better than a 2-0 defeat to a fully fit South African side, provided it doesn’t come through weather interruptions.

Mumbai’s spinners, led by Iqbal Abdulla, triggered a dramatic collapse on the final day in Valsad as Gujarat lost their last six wickets for only 12 runs

The Report by Amol Karhadkar in Valsad02-Jan-2014
ScorecardFile photo – Venugopal Rao fell for 17 as Gujarat collapsed•ESPNcricinfo LtdMumbai’s spinners, led by Iqbal Abdulla, triggered a dramatic collapse on the final day in Valsad as Gujarat lost their last six wickets for only 12 runs. A place in the quarter-finals was at stake, but it was the defending champions Mumbai who escaped elimination in the group stage by defending a modest 175, winning a pulsating contest by 27 runs.Resuming on 67 for 3, Gujarat were still comfortably placed after the first drinks break of the morning, following a streak of boundaries in the first half an hour, despite losing the overnight batsman Bhargav Merai. The excitement was evident as the Gujarat camp vociferously cheered every single by Akshar Patel and Y Venugopal Rao.It was perfectly understandable as Gujarat were on their way towards only their third victory against domestic giants Mumbai, in the 59th match between the zonal rivals. Incidentally, the last time Gujarat had defeated Mumbai – then Bombay – it was at another ground in the same town, back in 1977. Gujarat had upset Mumbai by 225 runs and had advanced to the knockouts while Mumbai had been eliminated in the group stage itself.Thirty-six years later, Akshar and Rao gave Gujarat a shot at repeating history and securing a place in the quarter-finals. At 135 for 4, a false stroke by Akshar changed everything. The left-hander, who had given Gujarat the upper hand with a fluent fifty, failed to connect a sweep shot off the part-time offspinner Suryakumar Yadav and was bowled. With Gujarat still needing 40 runs to win, Mumbai, for the first time, sensed they could pocket the match at the Sardar Patel Stadium.Half an hour later, Manpreet Juneja, who had been battling rough form all season, offered a dolly to Hiken Shah off Abdulla for a duck. In Abdulla’s next over, Rao was struck on the pads with a giant stride forward and was aghast to see the umpire upholding the appeal. Rao stood his ground in disbelief before trudging off.Two balls later, Rakesh Dhurv tried to be too aggressive and ended up holing out to Shah at long-on off the left-arm spinner Vishal Dabholkar. Having lost two wickets for no runs, Gujarat had been reduced to 144 for 8. All their hopes rested on Chirag Gandhi, who was the last recognised batsman. However, Gandhi was soon undone by a quicker delivery from Abdulla that was full and trapped Gandhi plumb in front. The wicket give Abdulla his first ten-for in first-class cricket as Mumbai were just one wicket away from a memorable victory.Six balls later, Dabholkar drew Jasprit Bumrah forward for Aditya Tare to complete an easy stumping. While the Gujarat dressing room was numb, the Mumbai camp rushed on to the field as if they had won the championship. However, having won a match in which they were down and out for most of the game and qualified for the quarters, they would now hope to convert their “lucky escape” and defend the title.Gujarat captain Parthiv Patel conceded that his team threw away the match in the second innings. “We were placed in an excellent position midway through the match. However, first we conceded 40 to 50 runs extra to their lower order and then even after having eight specialist batsmen, we couldn’t chase the target down,” Parthiv said. “We cannot blame anyone but ourselves for the loss.”

Shane Watson, a vocal critic of Mickey Arthur’s ‘high-performance’ dressing-room culture, feels vindicated by Australia’s success under Darren Lehmann’s relaxed stewardship

Daniel Brettig06-Jan-20140:00

‘Special feeling for everyone involved’ – Watson

Like a politician brought back from the cold due to change at the top, Shane Watson is no longer an anguished voice in the Australian wilderness.The most ardent in-house critic of the national team’s former direction, Watson has added reason to feel satisfied about Australia’s Ashes rampage this summer. They have come a long way since the fractious days of less than a year ago, when Watson and three others were suspended for a Test match in India as relationships with the former coach Mickey Arthur broke down.The day after Australia completed a barely believable 5-0 sweep of England in the second of back-to-back Ashes series, Watson spoke of how Darren Lehmann had returned a sense of fun and balance to a dressing room that had become insular, intense and often unpleasant during the latter days of Arthur’s tenure.Shane Watson was seldom part of such scenes of camaraderie under Australia’s previous coach Mickey Arthur•Getty ImagesWatson did not enjoy the “high performance” direction the team culture had taken, and was not shy about saying so. As a result of this frankness, his relationship with the captain Michael Clarke suffered, and he was also stood down from the vice-captaincy. But Lehmann’s appointment – and the wise medical counsel of the team doctor Peter Brukner – has allowed Watson to rehabilitate, as the team around him gathered strength in England before rumbling to the most comprehensive series triumph imaginable in Australia.”Personally it makes it more sweet,” Watson said. “To know that there were times when I knew I had to stand strong with my beliefs only for the betterment of what I thought was the amazing talent we had in the group. I certainly would never take back how I stood and voiced my opinions at certain times. I know that when there are down times, if you stand strong for long enough and persevere for long enough things might turn around and they certainly have in a way that I never expected.”I’ve always had certain beliefs and I’ve been lucky enough to be around so many great teams, whether it was the Australian team or other teams that I’ve played in. I got to know most importantly that you need to be making sure you’re having a lot of fun because it’s a game that if you take too seriously – and I do at times, and I’ve always got to turn myself around – you can really get too internal and the game gets too much for you. That’s what was happening in the Australian team.”Reflecting on the team room of 12 months ago, Watson said the concept of having fun and enjoying the game had been forsaken in pursuing goals that seemingly became less attainable the harder the team aspired to them. Lehmann reduced the tension in the air, while at the same time encouraging his players to be themselves. By adding perspective to the team, Watson said Lehmann had helped make the quest for the Ashes a challenge to be enjoyed rather than an all-consuming struggle to be endured.Largely thanks to Lehmann,Watson said the reality of playing cricket for Australia now matches up to the dream of doing so. “That it was meant to be the time of your life had gone out the window,” Watson said. “It was more so you had to be desperate and put every other part of your life on hold to become the best player and best team in the world instead of just getting the perfect balance, which means you’re more chance of actually putting the performances on the board as a team and individually. And Darren knew that from experience and that’s exactly what he implemented.”I know how lucky I am to be involved in such a special environment because it doesn’t always come along.”It’s not just something you stumble across, it’s something that people do put a lot of time and effort in certain ways to be able to make sure that an environment like this is created and that’s the amazing skill that Darren Lehmann has brought in. It really is an absolute pleasure to be a part of, not just the dream of playing cricket for Australia, but to actually be involved in something that is so much fun, that’s the reason I started playing and why I’m playing now.”