Dale Steyn Is A South African Cricket Player Currently Ranked No.1 Test Bowler In The World-

South African paceman Dale Steyn is to be investigated by match referee Jeff Crowe for allegedly spitting in the direction of West Indies spinner Sulieman Benn during the third and final test.

The alleged incident took place as Steyn walked off after he had been dismissed in the morning session on Monday.

South Africa completed a seven-wicket victory on day four on Tuesday and clinched the series 2-0.

 

"We've had a discussion with the on-field umpires and the match referee and they will take this matter up to the next level if they have to," West Indies captain Chris Gayle told reporters.

Tempers also flared on Tuesday when umpires Simon Taufel and Steve Davis had to intervene to keep the peace after West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach struck Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis on the helmet.

Gayle said the series had been played in good spirit before the final test.

"It was brilliant leading up to this test match but things got out of hand. The series has been a wonderful one, it's just unfortunate that at the end we had a bit of a boil up, Gayle said.

South African bowlers rip through India

source-www.smh.com.au

 

Dale Steyn of South Africa celebrates after dismissing Sachin Tendulkar. Photo: Reuters

CENTURION: South Africa's fast bowlers made up for lost time as they ripped through the Indian batting line-up on a rain-shortened first day of the first Test at SuperSport Park overnight.

Morne Morkel took four wickets and Dale Steyn three as India crashed to 9-136 after being sent in on a green, damp pitch.

Morkel, who took four for 20 and bowled with consistent hostility, said it was a disciplined performance by the bowlers.

 

"We were under pressure after winning the toss and sending them in to bat. We needed to execute well. A lot of times when the ball is nipping around you can get carried away but today we kept calm, kept cool and did the basics right," he said.

Steyn, whose three wickets cost 34 runs, backed up his new ball partner's comments.

"All the wickets today were with good bowling and keeping the ball up to the bat," he said. "It was good planning."

Only Sachin Tendulkar, who made an elegant 36 off 34 balls, looked at ease as Steyn and Morkel confirmed their credentials as the world's most lethal new ball pair as they scythed through the side ranked number one in Test cricket.

Steyn started the slide early when he had Virender Sehwag caught at third man for nought. He followed up with two superb, full, late-swinging deliveries to get rid of VVS Laxman and Tendulkar after the pair had mounted a mini-recovery after India had slumped to 3-27.

Laxman and Tendulkar put on 39 before Laxman and Tendulkar fell in successive overs from Steyn, sandwiched by the wicket of Suresh Raini, who lasted only three balls before edging Jacques Kallis to third slip.

The tall Morkel claimed the wickets of Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid in successive overs. He also dismissed tailenders Ishant Sharma and Sree Sreesanth before bad light ended play. Dravid was his 100th victim in his 29th Test.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, hitting out as he batted with the tail, finished the day on 33 not out.

The only other batsman to reach 20 was Harbhajan Singh, who followed his two centuries against New Zealand recently with another hard-hitting innings of unusual strokes, making 27 off 25 balls before he was out in a manner as unorthodox as his batting.

After Dhoni hit the ball to deep cover, wicketkeeper Mark Boucher collected a throw from Alviro Petersen and flicked it between his own legs to run out Harbhajan by a few centimetres.

Harbhajan said the toss was the most crucial factor of the day.

"It's always tough to lose the toss on this sort of wicket," he said.

"Some balls were stopping and some were going through."

Harbhajan said India remained confident.

"As a team we like to be challenged," he said. "Now we will look to bowl well and stop them getting too far away from us."

Morkel, though, backed South Africa to gain a worthwhile lead when they get to bat.

"I can't see us not getting the runs on the board," he said.

Heavy rain overnight and during the morning delayed the start by four and a half hours and South African captain Graeme Smith had no hesitation about sending India in. Dhoni said he too would have chosen to bowl first.

Dale Steyn

Personal information
Full name	Dale Willem Steyn
Born	27 June 1983 (age 27)(1983-06-27) Phalaborwa, Transvaal Province, South Africa
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right-arm fast
Role	Bowler
International information
National side	South Africa
Test debut (cap 297)	17 December 2004 v England
Last Test	29 June 2010 v West Indies
ODI debut (cap 82)	17 August 2005 v Asia XI
Last ODI	28 May 2010 v West Indies
ODI shirt no.	8
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2003-2004	Northerns
2004-present	Titans (squad no. 8)
2005	Essex
2007	Warwickshire
2007-present	Royal Challengers Bangalore (squad no. 2)
Career statistics
Competition	Test	ODI	FC	LA
Matches	45	43	86	87
Runs scored	588	86	1,092	132
Batting average	13.67	9.55	14.18	7.76
100s/50s	0/1	0/0	0/3	0/0
Top score	76	35	82	35
Balls bowled	9,221	2,120	16,671	4,180
Wickets	232	61	386	130
Bowling average	23.31	31.21	24.35	25.93
5 wickets in innings	15	0	23	2
10 wickets in match	4	n/a	6	n/a
Best bowling	7/51	4/16	8/41	5/20
Catches/stumpings	13/–	7/–	19/–	13/–
Source: cricinfo, 30 December 2010

Domestic career-

International career-

Dale Steyn in the field at the SCG in January 2009

 Home Tests against England 2004/05-

Achievements and Records-

 Test Five-wicket innings-

 Test Ten-wicket Matches-

Bowling partners-

One Day Internationals 2005/06-

 Home Tests against New Zealand 2005/2006-

 Away Tests against Sri Lanka 2006-

 Home Tests against India 2006/07-

 Home Tests against Pakistan 2006/07-

Away Tests against Australia 2008/2009-

Steyn fields a ball at practice, Adelaide Oval, January 2009.

 Away Tests Against West Indies 2010-

Test Man-of-the-Match Awards:

 Test Man-of-the-Series Awards-

 Career Best Performances-

Dale Steyn-

 

Dale Steyn is currently the number one ranked Test bowler in the world cricket Player. He is Protea's (fast bowler), South African Cricket Club. Test Debut: v England at Port Elizabeth - 17-21 December 2004. ODI Debut: Africa XI v Asia XI at Centurion - 17 August 2005. Won four awards at the Mutual and Federal SA Cricket Awards in June 2008. He has been nominated for the CSA Test Cricketer of the Year; SA Cricketer of the Year "2010 SA Cricket Awards Gala".

Steyn showed what makes him such a big threat. He had the opportunity of bowling in very helpful conditions at both venues but he never tried to overachieve, never got overexcited. He assessed the conditions coolly and bowled just the right line and length to snare his victims.

The first day of the Durban Test was the perfect example – the wicket was green and the sky was overcast, an ideal setting for a fast man. Morne Morkel, now No. 3 in the bowler rankings, kept bowling short and wide and hardly troubled the batsmen. Steyn, on the other hand, bowled full and on and around the off-stump. He did not waste his energy on bowling bouncers. The result was some unplayable deliveries which accounted for batsmen like Sehwag and Dravid. Steyn finished with 6/50 off 19 incisive overs to grab the initiative for South Africa, yet again.

Indian batsmen will be the first to vouch for Steyn's class as they have often been on the receiving end of his prowess. During the Ahmedabad Test in 2008, Steyn claimed 5/23 as India were bowled out for 76 in just two hours in the first innings. South Africa won the Test easily. In Nagpur, earlier this year, Steyn (7/51) made the old ball talk as India slumped to 233 all out from 192/3. South Africa ran out winners here too. At Centurion too, Steyn got the crucial breaks on the third and fourth evenings to hasten India's slide.

The Durban Test is Steyn's ninth against India and he already has 45 wickets at a measly 18.42 per wicket after the end of the first innings. Overall, his tally is 230 scalps in his 45th Test, the average being a very impressive 23.25. Simply put, Steyn picks up a wicket every 40th ball!

It is instructive to hear Steyn talk about his bowling. He comes across as a serious student of the game who is humble about his skills and achievements. Asked if he was frustrated when it took him some time to take a wicket on Day One at Durban, Steyn said, "Patience is the key. If you bowl in the right areas, something is going to give." His bowling bears him out.

Steyn's stock delivery, the outswinger, is one of the most feared in world cricket. It fetches him a majority of his wickets. How can he get the ball to shoot away so much from the middle or the leg stump? "I suppose I'm lucky that I can get the ball to do that. But I don't try it all the time, you can do it on certain days. Today (Sunday) was such a day. But if it doesn't work than you get hit through mid-wicket for a boundary every single time," was Steyn's self-effacing, honest take. He brought in some perspective too. "You don't want to be a hero every ball. You do what your captain wants you to do." Steyn, though, admits that the temptation to bowl a ripper gets the better of him once in a while. "Every now and then, I get a bit cheeky and I bowl one of those deliveries. If they don't come off and I'm hit for a four then my captain pulls me up."

Steyn places great emphasis on cricket being a team game. "I've played with some great guys like Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya (Ntini). I listened to them and it helped me improve my game. Cricket is a team sport and if you can listen to the guys who have been around for 100 Tests or more, it's going to make a difference in your career."

Jonathan Trott Career Status and His 1st Ashes Centuries  Honors-

Jonathan Trott

Personal information
Full name	Ian Jonathan Leonard Trott
Born	22 April 1981 (age 29)(1981-04-22) Cape Town, Cape Province, South Africa
Nickname	Trotters, Booger, Leon
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right-arm medium
Role	Middle-order batsman
Relations	Kenny Jackson (half-brother), Tom Dollery (grandfather-in-law)
International information
National side	England
Test debut (cap 645)	20 August 2009 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 211)	27 August 2009 v Ireland
ODI shirt no.	4
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2000–2001	Boland
2001–2002	Western Province
2002–	Warwickshire (squad no. 9)
2005–2006	Otago
Career statistics
Competition	Test	ODI	FC	LA
Matches	17	9	152	165
Runs scored	1600	569	9,999	5,614
Batting average	64.00	70.40	44.44	45.64
100s/50s	5/5	1/4	22/51	11/37
Top score	226	110	226	125*
Balls bowled	114	48	4,358	1,405
Wickets	1	0	56	52
Bowling average	86.00	–	44.12	25.25
5 wickets in innings	0	0	1	0
10 wickets in match	0	n/a	0	n/a
Best bowling	1/16		7/39	4/55
Catches/stumpings	7/–	2/–	146/–	55/–
Source: Cric Info, 4 December 2010

Personal life-

Cricket-

Jonathan Trott batting for Warwickshire against Cambridge UCCE, at Fenner's cricket ground in Cambridge, 15 April 2006.

Warwickshire-

International-

Twenty20 International debut:

Trott's maiden Test century

2009 Ashes:

England in South Africa, 2009/10:

Bangladesh home and away 2010:

One Day International centuries-

Jonathan Trott's One Day International centuries
	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year
[1]	110	6	Bangladesh	Birmingham, England	Edgbaston	2010

Pakistan 2010:

2010–11 Ashes:

Achievements and honours-

• Scored a century (168*) in the 2010 Ashes at The MCG, Melbourne
• Scored a century in the 2010 Ashes at The Gabba, Brisbane
• 18th English cricket player to make a century at his Test debut (5th Ashes Test, 2009)
• Ashes winner: 2009
• World Record 8th wicket partnership in Test Cricket of 332 (with Stuart Broad v Pakistan at Lord's, 2010)

Man of the series awards-

Date	Format	Opponent	Result
2010	Test cricket	Pakistan	England win the series 3–1

Test Cricket centuries-

Jonathan Trott's Test Cricket International centuries
	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year
[1]	119	1	Australia	London, England	The Oval	2009
[2]	226	7	Bangladesh	London, England	Lord's Cricket Ground	2010
[3]	184	13	Pakistan	London, England	Lord's Cricket Ground	2010
[4]	135*	14	Australia	Brisbane, Australia	The Gabba	2010
[5]	168*	17	Australia	Melbourne, Australia	Melbourne Cricket Ground	2010

On a day when Ricky Ponting lost his cool with the umpires, Jonathan Trott was a picture of composure as his second century of the series kept England on target to retain the Ashes. Led by an aggressive Peter Siddle in front of his home crowd, the Australian fast men tried to drag their team back into the contest but after their first-innings 98, the hosts needed a miraculous day, not a solid one. 

Trott was the anchor for England, with support from Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior, and by the close of play their advantage had grown to 346 runs, already an ample lead that will grow on day three. Trott went to stumps on 141 and Prior had 75, and Australia's inability to break through in the final session sapped any energy they might have drawn from Siddle's early strikes. 

Three days of rain might be feasible in Brisbane, given the recent weather in the north, but it won't happen in Melbourne, and Australia's batsmen must find remarkable resolve in the second innings if England are to be denied victory and the urn is to remain up for grabs at the SCG. And judging by Ponting's outburst, levelheadedness is not widespread in the team right now.

The Ashes 2010: Jonathan Trott's third century just the ticket for England-

By -Dean Wilson  

Jonathan Trott marched past 150 on day three to etch his name into the history books at the MCG with his third Ashes ton.


 Australia are losing it after Jonathan Trott century keeps England on top and on track for fourth Test win after day two at the MCG

The 29-year-old paid no attention to the furore surrounding Ricky Ponting's outburst to continue rubbing salt into the wounds of Australian cricket under blue skies.
Ponting, though, moved on from the token fine for his outburst the day day before to help his side make an early breakthrough in the morning by catching Matt Prior to end an England 6th wicket record partnership of 173 at the ground.


Prior was crestfallen at failing to reach a maiden Ashes ton, but his 85 was yet another vital contribution to the England cause before he chipped five-star paceman Peter Siddle to mid-on.
Siddle has been the only bright spark for Australia throughout this match and he again carried the attack to England in front of his home town fans to get rid of Tim Bresnan soon after.


A regulation edge through to the keeper gave Siddle his fourth Test five-wicket haul, but he was the only seamer smiling after Ryan Harris limped off mid-over with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury.

Trott, though, kept adding to his second ton of the series which has turned him into an Ashes hero of the Chris Broad, Michael Vaughan and Kevin Pietersen mould, and he did it despite taking a painful blow to the knee from an inside edge.

A year ago, Jonathan Trott's crucial fourth Test run out of Phil Hughes wouldn't have been possible, says England coach Andy Flower.


While opening partner Shane Watson set up the MCG dismissal by calling for a quick single that wasn't really there, Flower used the incident to highlight work done developing England's players.

Australia had made an encouraging start in their second innings at 0-54 on day three when Trott pounced on Watson's push into the covers and ran out Hughes with a well-executed throw.

Trott is not known for his fielding and was also coming off his lengthy stay at the crease for 168no.

"A guy like Jonathan Trott ... a year ago, would never have got that run out," Flower said.

"Number one, he would have been too tired physically from the exertions with the bat, because he wasn't in as good condition - our physical trainer is brilliant.


"He's one of the best in the business, Hugh Bevan, a Welsh guy, ex-rugby.
"Working on his movement, the efficiency of his movement to the ball and then the quick release from that position - for Jonathan Trott, he's not known for his fielding.


"For him to get that run out and certainly stop the momentum that the openers had given Australia, was a good example of some of the work that goes on behind the scenes, that people don't see."
Flower said the English cricket system had worked with Major League baseball teams to develop fielding skills.


Australia pioneered this approach, using well-known baseball coach Mike Young as a fielding consultant.

"Guys like Gordon Lord, who runs our coach education program in England and does a superb job for us, they are constantly seeking to educate our coaches and we're updating ourselves all the time," Flower said.

"We ask the players to improve all the time and we have an obligation to do the same as coaches.


"Certainly baseball is the most obvious one, we've had baseball coaches working with our fielding coach about different throwing styles, release speeds, how quickly you need to release the ball, from what position do you release the ball."

Jonathan Trott: England refreshed and ready for the grandest occasion in fourth Ashes Test-

It is a fantastic opportunity to play in front of a massive crowd at the MCG on Boxing Day.

We have to make sure the memories we take away from Melbourne are good ones.

Trott's hunger hurts Australia-

After the bowlers did their job yesterday, England's No.3 ensured there was no let-up with another impressive display-

source-Andrew Miller at the MCG

Some batsmen specialise in the counterattack, others major in attrition. Jonathan Trott, however, nestles into another comfortable and entirely enclosed genre, that of the specialist bloodletter. Like a medieval physician faced with a case of apoplexy, Trott draws his scalpel across the artery, and drains all tension from the situation until the patient is totally becalmed. 

And so it was, on one of the most volatile days of the summer, with Ricky Ponting inviting ICC censure for his run-in with Aleem Dar and Peter Siddle pounding in on a still-lively track to give Australia the outside chance of a sub-200 deficit, Trott bedded in, zoned out, and finished the day on 141 not out. It was his third hundred in his first five Tests against Australia, the first England batsman since Michael Vaughan in 2002-03 to achieve such a feat, and for the second time in as many games, it moved England into a position from which an Ashes-sealing victory appears little more than a formality. 

"I don't think it's anything about batting against Australia in particular," said Trott. "I've played five games against Mike Hussey and he's also scored three hundreds, so you might also have to ask him why he likes batting against England. It's just one of those things. I'm very fortunate. I work really hard on my game, along with everyone else in the team, and I'm just happy to be able to contribute to getting us into a good position." 

A total of 67,149 spectators turned up to the second day at the MCG - some 20,000 fewer than attended on the first, but still the largest crowd that he had ever before encountered. Trott, however, anesthetised the lot of them as he treated the occasion with his habitual equanimity. "Each hundred you get is in different circumstances," he said. "This is definitely an important Test match and one I'll definitely savour. They're all pretty special but Boxing Day, [with] the hype around it and the support from the English fans, it would definitely be right up there." 

Like South Africa's Jacques Kallis, a fellow Capetonian, Trott is not exactly a man to set the pulses racing, but it's hard not to admire the unfussy manner with which he goes about his work. All of the fuss, in fact, is fast-tracked into his ritual between balls, which involves constant guard-taking and crease-scratching, and enables him to expend any excess nervous energy and leave the business of seeing and hitting cricket balls to a combination of a sound instinct and a water-tight technique. 

"Any batter that's out there in the middle, in the zone, is tough to bowl to - especially him," said Siddle, whose adrenalin-fuelled method has been thwarted by Trott in each of those three centuries. "It is tough work. The wicket is not offering a lot of bounce, which keeps it in his favour a little bit - knowing it's going to be pretty much up there for him on the front foot." 

Trott's current average against Australia is a Bradman-esque 96.33, while his career average - at his overnight score - of 62.92 puts him second behind the Don in the all-time averages for batsmen who have made more than 1500 Test runs - a figure he ghosted past during the afternoon accumulation with Matt Prior. 

As with the best of Trott's performances, notably his 184 in partnership with Stuart Broad at Lord's last summer, the latter stages were fuelled by an absolute certainty of outcome. The morning drizzle and early life had made survival tough for all the batsmen, and both overnight incumbents, Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss, fell without significant addition. 

But as the evening drew in and the crowds dissipated in droves for the second day in a row, Trott's love of crease occupation and eye for the loose delivery allowed him to ease to within nine runs of his third 150-plus score in seven months. To put that in context, Pietersen (on six occasions) is the only English batsman to manage more so-called "daddies" in the whole of the past five years. 

"I think it's important I don't over-rev when I'm batting and try and over-hit the ball," said Trott. "Sometimes I find I'm a bit tense, it's too much. I try and be nice and patient and play my natural game, which is to accumulate here and there and let the other guys hit boundaries and sixes." 

In fact, Trott was so under-revved, he claimed he did not notice or take an interest in any of the controversy that took place early in the second session, when Kevin Pietersen survived a caught-behind appeal off Ryan Harris that led Ricky Ponting into an angry discussion with umpire Aleem Dar. The only moment he was truly unsettled came when he inside-edged Ben Hilfenhaus onto the side of his kneecap. 

"It was one of the most painful things I've felt in my life," said Trott, who required lengthy treatment after falling to the crease in a heap. "I asked for the runner to put the pads on and see how it went. I gave it 20 minutes to see if it stiffened up. It did a little bit ... but that'll teach for me inside-edging it." 

That incident aside, Trott's resolve was scarcely tested, as he re-entered the zone that he and Alastair Cook had occupied on the final day at Brisbane, when England served notice of their series intentions with that formidable second-innings scoreline of 1 for 517. "Obviously the cloud cover was there and a bit of drizzle early on," he said, "but fortunately the sun came out this afternoon and the wind sort of dried the pitch out."

But despite the looming prospect of a very handsome victory, Trott was not ready to take anything for granted just yet, the very same trait that has served his batting so well throughout a memorable 2010. "We all know that the Australian team - like we saw in the last Test match - has got some good players," he said. "We're going to have to be at the top of our game to make sure we keep the pressure on them the whole time. 

"I wouldn't say that they were demoralised," he added. "I thought they bowled pretty well today ... [but] things went our way. It was a good day for us but it's important to remember they'll come at us tomorrow morning and try and get themselves right back and get as many wickets as soon as possible. It's important I'm on my game from the start tomorrow. There's plenty of work for us left to be done in this Test match." 

Andrew Miller is UK editor of Cricinfo.

 

From Wikipedia-