NEU » ekaras direct hit from mid-on found him short.Debuta

The Lords Test was a timely reminder of a game that can be an enthralling contest when theres something in the pitch for the bowlers, and that is enhanced by the magic of good wristspin.While the bowling at times reached heights of excellence, the batting at Lords was often moderate and the catching appalling. The next time a commentator says fielding standards have greatly improved over the years, Id like him or her to be more specific. Some of the outfielding is spectacular in its athleticism, and at times even displays ballet-like qualities, but the close catching is technically deficient.And its not just England and Pakistan who are at fault; its a worldwide epidemic, and in this case its not catching.Most of the dropped catches behind the wicket are the result of one simple technical flaw - the failure to slightly turn the foot outwards to the side on which the ball is travelling before making the next move. Without this simple manoeuvre the fielder will be off balance when attempting to complete a catch. On most occasions when a catch goes down, you see the fielder either collapse sideways like a detonated building or take a tumble backwards.Not to pick on Virat Kohli but hes a high-quality batsman with wonderful hand-eye coordination, which should make him a natural for the catching positions. His failings in the slip cordon are the result of this technical flaw, and also a lack of anticipation in the leg-slip position when the spinners are operating.Anticipation is a big part of fielding at leg slip to the spinners, because often the ball suddenly appears from behind a pad. Consequently, its crucial to follow the flight of the delivery and then focus on a spot from where the ball will appear.I once watched in amazement as Garry Sobers - fielding at leg slip for South Australia - calculated that a Victoria batsman was purely blocking the last over before lunch. Choosing his moment perfectly, he stepped forward, placed his hand on the ground and the ball was played straight to him.Sobers was one of the best in that position but he had an equal in Indias Eknath Solkar, who was exceedingly brave in the short-leg position, and would have made an excellent pickpocket. He stood so close without you feeling his presence. What a pity Ekki isnt around now. Hed be able to put Kohli (and any other short leg who cared to listen) straight on whats required to excel in that position.I often wonder what current players are being taught, particularly when it comes to batting and fielding. Its understandable that coaching is a little confused with three variations of the game to satisfy, but there are certain principles that should be adhered to in order to achieve success. Some coaches put forward theories that are more about reinventing the game than helping their charges. Im all for improvement but change for the sake of it is usually misdirected because the motives behind it are wrong.Just because a technique is ancient doesnt mean its inefficient. It has usually survived because it has been tried and tested over many years and proved to be the best way to achieve success.Like most aspects of the game, these trusted techniques are best learned when the player is young - anywhere from eight to 18 years of age. The most knowledgeable coaches should be in charge of good young players and not international teams. Cricket needs to closely examine its coaching structure. There have never been more coaches, but while the game has improved in a number of areas, it is technically deficient in some very important aspects.Sobers wrote in his coaching book: One of the greatest tragedies of cricket coaching is that the greatness of the games best players has been revered but never followed.Many young players will learn the game from watching it on television, and have done. Better they learn techniques that work rather than observe theories that are the result of some misguided coachs ambition.Stefan Medina Colombia Jersey . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. Cristian Zapata Colombia Jersey . Walcott is available for Saturdays home match against Southampton as Arsenal looks to extend its two-point lead at the top of the Premier League. 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Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup.West Indies 227 (Carter 54, Hope 47, Powell 44, Kulasekara 2-37) beat Sri Lanka 165 (Pathirana 45, Gabriel 3-31, Nurse 3-46, Holder 2-16) by 62 runsScorecard and ball-by-ball details West Indies bowlers, led by Jason Holder and Ashley Nurse, defended 227 on a deteriorating Harare pitch to register a bonus-point win, their first against Sri Lanka at a neutral venue since 1999. West Indies may not have had as much had it not been for enterprising cameos from Jonathan Carter and debutant Rovman Powell.Holder set the tone with a sensational opening spell of swing bowling in which he picked up two wickets and conceded 12 in five overs. He had Dhananjaya de Silva caught behind off an inside edge and drew Kusal Mendis forward with a full delivery that swung away late and took the outside edge. Nurse took a reverse-cupped catch in front of his face at second slip. In between, Johnson Charles effected an agile run-out of Kusal Perera, hitting the stumps directly from square leg.The pitch seemed to slow down as the afternoon wore on with more than a few balls stopping in the surface. Nurse dismissed Sri Lanka captain Upul Tharanga with one such delivery. It pitched on leg, drawing Tharanga into a flick, but the ball spun and bounced extravagantly to take the leading edge and lobbed back to the bowler.A few overs later, Nurse beat the defense of Asela Gunaratne and trapped him in front with what looked like an innocuous offbreak. Suddenly, Sri Lanka had slumped to 79 for 6 on a surface that was getting increasingly harder to bat on, making West Indies score of 227 seem a lot more.Sachith Pathirana and Shehan Jayasuriya kept Sri Lanka in the hunt with a 60-run seventh-wicket partnership, but too much damage had been done too early. Nurse finished with 3 for 46, while Shannon Gabriel claimed the last two wickets to return 3 for 31.West Indies first away ODI win since the 2015 World Cup was achieved after Jason Holdeer had lost his sixth straight toss and West Indies were put in.dddddddddddd For most of their recent ODI series against Pakistan, their focus was on their biggest strength: power-hitting, as opposed to strike-rotation. It seemed like West Indies had intentionally swapped their strategy, with mixed results.West Indies major concern would have been negotiating a testing opening spell in gloomy conditions. Their batsmen were adept at doing so, albeit on a morning with less swing available than in the tri-series opener two days ago.Sri Lanka nipped out the openers in that period, including the run-out of Kraigg Brathwaite who plonked his bat on the crease while completing a run. The bat jarred in the turf and bounced up as Nuwan Kulasekaras direct hit from mid-on found him short.Debutant Shai Hope and Evin Lewis, a T20 specialist, were then forced to stabilise a faltering innings. As the slower bowlers were introduced, the pair looked in so much discomfort in finding gaps that West Indies could only muster 51 runs between overs 11 and 25. The Harare pitch had begun to deteriorate and the Sri Lanka spinners strangled the batsmen. West Indies had cut out expansive shots on their own volition, and Sri Lanka closed the gaps.Carter, an ODI specialist, found his rhythm from the outset, hitting gaps and finding singles by looking for them. He struck 54, and picked off two fours and two sixes in a 62-ball knock filled with intent.Powell displayed his ball-striking ability in his 29-ball 44, an innings that featured two fours and three muscular sixes into the leg side, all a result of a strong bottom hand.Just when West Indies looked set for a score in excess of 250, Sri Lankas seamers returned in the end overs to trigger a collapse. West Indies lost their last five wickets for 18 runs. ' ' '