In the Name of Cricket

23/12/2009

Irfan Pathan say’s he is ready

Irfan Pathan believes that he has learnt from his failures and has it in him to succeed again in International cricket.

The Baroda all-rounder, who last played for India in June during the World T20 Championship in England, claims being slotted as a first-change bowler stunted his International career.

"I'm not complaining that I should be given the new ball, but yes, if you are bowling first change, you are not going to get that much swing. Your wicket tally is going to reduce”.

Which is strange as bowlers like him, for example Nehra, Zaheer and his cricketing idol Wasim Akram are all exponents of reverse swing with the scuffed cricket ball.

Apart from this quaint defense, Irfan has done everything to impress, he topped the batting and bowling charts for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy, the Indian selectors. However, will the selectors heed his cry?

22/12/2009

The Jonathan Trott rituals

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JONATHAN TROTT has infuriated the Proteas by his rather slow method of preparing himself between deliveries.

Trott’s rather exaggerated mental preparations include a pensive walk towards square leg and multiple acts of scratching out his guard before composing himself to face the next ball.

Both his exaggerated preparations and his dour batting in the 1st Test at the Centurion have irked the Proteas.

An understandably irritated Graeme Smith complained, "It's been a constant thing throughout the tour. I'm all for a batsman taking his time to be ready - I'm not the quickest myself setting up at the crease. But when a bowler has to keep stopping for a batter - and he's been warned in a one-day game and warned again during the Test - it is frustrating."

The petulance of the South African captain has had no effect on Jonathan Trott. He in fact vowed (surely with a smirk on his face) to continue his ‘method batting’.

Have the West Indies Exposed a Chink in Ponting's armour?

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The West Indian skipper believes he has given the world a strategy for ruining the twilight years of Ponting' s career with a blood-and-thunder bumper war.

"One thing we have exposed in this series is Ricky Ponting's problems against the short ball," Gayle told the Herald Sun .
"Our plan to bowl short at him worked really well and they are tactics that other Test teams can use with a lot of success against him.

21/12/2009

3rd ODI Impressions, Cuttack, India vs. Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka bat first

In the first 15 overs, the Indian’s did not know where to look. Then in the next 15 over’s it was the turn of Sri Lanka, so much so by the 35 th over they were battling to play the full compliment of 50 over’s.

This turn around in Sri Lanka’s batting fortunes was engineered by Nehra and largely by Jadeja.

Jadeja simply owned the middle over’s by some deft mixture of sliders and top spinners brought the rampaging Sri Lanka batting to its knees.

Definitely, he is a much better investment than the gum chewing elder Pathan.

In short, the Indian bowling attack that was clueless in the initial overs pulled things back to bowl out the Lankan’s in 44.2 over’s.

India chases 239

Updated at 6.00 AM

A facile victory for India.

India needing 240 for a win chased it down without any alarums. Sehwag blasted his way and gave a reasonable start. The other batsmen chipped in with Tendulkar batting through for 96 runs.

Sri Lanka was at the recipient end of some hasty umpiring decisions, however, were it to be upheld, it is doubtful whether it would have changed the result.

Ranji Trophy brings no cheer.

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Ranji Trophy Matches are played in the same mundane way says G. Viswanath.

Look at the just concluded Ranji Trophy Super League matches. Out of the 49 Ranji Trophy Super League matches played, 30 of them were drawn. This demonstrates that despite high sounding statements about the pitches the pitches are loaded against the bowlers. The batsmen of course made merry.

Clearly the contest between bat and ball was absent in many instances with the batsmen amassing runs, a fact that’s evident in aggregates of 1000 plus in 20 matches and 900 plus in 13 matches.

It’s another stark aspect that has brought the clear divide between the BCCI’s Pitch and Grounds Committee. The home associations have vested interests whereupon they cannot go against the whims of their players. They cannot look beyond the prize and hence most matches suffered from a real contest on account of lifeless pitches.

20/12/2009

Will Dickie Bird’s reputation stand?

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It is doubtful whether Dickie Bird’s or for the matter other umpiring legends pristine reputation will stand DRS scrutiny.

But think for a moment of the effect on the umpires in all this, the fellows whose decision-making it is designed to enhance, but will also serve to expose. There was a time when umpires would be classified as "outers" or "not-outers" and while there was something strangely acceptable in the latter, to be called an "outer" was a pejorative term, implying too much of a readiness to get the game moving along. Consider the reputation of Dickie Bird, perhaps the most famous umpire of them all. With the exception of one gloriously aberrant match between West Indies and Pakistan, in which Dickie and Steve Bucknor were complicit in giving a world record 17 lbws, Dickie made a career out of avoiding controversy. Dickie was safe all right, but might have his reputation pricked by today's scrutiny.

What sets Dilshan apart?

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In his new avatar as an opener, Tillakaratne Dilshan is in prolific form. Though he has shown glimpses of his talent earlier, as an opener he is a revelation.

So what accounts for his prolific form? Nandita Sridhar believes it his new found conviction:

Unorthodox, aggressive batsmen rely on conviction. What sets apart batsmen like Dilshan, Virender Sehwag and M.S. Dhoni from the less consistent non-conformists is conviction.

It’s all very well when the runs are coming, when the maverick is still a subject of curiosity for bowlers, and when the batsman himself is in love with his many eccentricities; but the challenge is when the runs dry up. Without the conviction to stick to their technique and to go through with their shots in the way that suits them best, they risk getting exposed.

Why night Tests remain a day dream

Floodlighhts at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground

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Stephen Brenkley accepts playing Test match under lights and with a pink ball will change cricket, but:

Tests under lights using pink balls would be played within two years. Maybe, maybe not. While it is the biggest single initiative aimed at securing the future of Test cricket, it would also change the shape of the game forever. At present, it is the floodlights – as well as the pink balls – that may not be fit for purpose, with many lights around the world being of insufficient standard.

19/12/2009

Dhoni banned for 2 ODI’s

Geriatric Jeff Crowe misses bedtime and bans Dhoni for 'intentional' delay.

18/12/2009

2nd ODI Impressions, Nagpur, India vs. Sri Lanka

Electing to bat, thanks to the generosity of Sri Lankan's, India made 301. Sri Lanka was so ragged in the field that they frittered away a much-improved show put up by their bowlers.

Sangakkara was the main culprit and Dhoni the beneficiary. In fact, he dropped two catches and missed a stumping of Dhoni who made full use of his luck and scored his 6th ODI century and his 2nd consecutive one at Nagpur.

The pitch after an initial spell of true bounce has now become slow. Sri Lanka bowlers especially Angelo used the nature of the pitch by bowling short pitched bouncers that required the batsmen to give it their all to score boundaries.

Indian bowlers too can use the same tactic and may well succeed if their fielders back them.

Though India did score 301, it may prove too little if Dilshan and the dormant Jayasuriya erupt.

Dhoni’s exhaustion at the end of the innings is a worry for India, for if he is unfit to continue, they will have to do with a makeshift keeper and miss his cool levelheaded thinking.

Update 5.15 AM

India lost the match in the first 10 overs. If I am not mistaken, Sri Lanka scored 80 runs and that proved too big a hemorrhage to stem in the end.

Other than that, the Indian bowlers did a great job to make a match off it.

Lalit Modi remains IPL Chairman

Lalit Modi survived the IPL governing council meeting on Thursday, with his hold over IPL intact.

In fact, “BCCI president Shashank Manohar reiterated that Modi would stay as IPL chairman till 2012 and termed reports of a rift between Srinivasan and Modi as false”.

In other developments, the IPL governing council announced that if interested existing franchisees can hold onto their players when the Twenty20 tournament enters its 4th year in 2011.

This clarification came on the heels of media reports that franchisees were disgruntled over IPL’s earlier announcement that 2 more franchisees were being added and consequently all the players will be up for auction.

The other decisions taken by the IPL governing council were:

The base bid price for the two new teams would be $225,000.
$750,000 has been fixed as cap for franchises when they bid for players for 2010 season during the January 19 auction.

The IPL governing council also announced that the third edition of the Indian Premier League would begin on March 12 in Hyderabad. The semi-finals will be held at Bangalore and the finals at the D Y Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on April 25.

17/12/2009

2nd ODI Nagpur, India-Sri Lanka – 2009

Does India hold the edge?

The 2nd ODI between India and Sri Lanka can well turn out to be another high-scoring humdinger.

The pitch as usual is going to batsmen friendly; however, the ground conditions differ slightly. At Nagpur, the ‘dew’ will certainly be a major influencer and hence winning the toss is important.

Apart from the novelty of day-might match and differing ground conditions, both teams are evenly matched. In fact the last 2matches (including the Twenty20), both the teams have matched each other stroke for stroke.

The difference is during the last match everything worked for India. Nehra and Zaheer found the ideal length and swing after the 35th over. The Indian ground fielding kicked in and affected run-outs that proved a body blow to the Sri Lanka team.

From the Indian point of view, Sehwag and Gambhir is the key and if they get going, a high score is assured.

The Sri Lankan’s have a sagging middle order with the ageing Jayasuriya looking uncomfortable in his new role. Mahela is sleep walking through the series and definitely running on empty.

Coming to the bowling, both teams have bowlers who are in shock and awe of the opening pair. The impact of the openers is such that the bowlers are losing their head and pitching short and wide to the rest of the batsmen. Now that Murali has gone back home, the Indian bowling looks much more potent.

All said and done India looks to have the edge but just.

Referrals :Sanity required

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The umpire decision referral system (UDRS) has polorised the cricketing community.

A highly regarded former West Indian pace bowler who also happens to be the coach manager of the current West Indies team called it a gimmick.

When it comes to umpires, the division over the usefulness of the referral system is clear. Umpire like Dickie Bird and former Test umpire Darrell Hair believe the video-review system is putting a lot of pressure on the field umpires.

However, umpires like Aleem Dar, who are still in the ICC Elite panel of umpires, have welcomed the innovation.

When it comes to the cricketers, it is difficult to make out whether the UDRS is welcome.

Tendulkar, Ponting, Smith and Gayle have repeatedly voiced their objections whereas; Sri Lanka cricketers whole-heartedly approve the referral system.

Surprisingly (because it is surprising to hear an Englishman go against the flow) among this cacophony, James Lawton is the lone voice of reason.

Since his arguments are bathed in sanity, let us hope his voice is heard loud and clear.

16/12/2009

Sri Lanka falters in pursuit of India's 417

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Sri Lanka made a spirited attempt at chasing down India's mammoth 414 in the 1st one-day international in Rajkot but failed to complete what may have turned out to be an incredible win.

Put into bat, India scored what appeared an insurmountable 414 for 7. As usual, Virender Sehwag made India’s mammoth ODI score possible. He not only made 146 off 102 balls but also featured in 2-century partnerships, one with Sachin Tendulkar and the other with Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Chasing 414, Tillakaratne Dilshan got Sri Lanka off to a scorching start. He smashed 160 runs and Sangakkara followed with another scorching 90.

Sadly, the batsmen who followed succumbed to the pressure and crumbled and India scrambled to a 3-run win.

14/12/2009

India v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI, Rajkot

Article first published at 6.43 PM
Updated at 5.05 AM

A suspected hairline fracture to his left little finger suffered during the 2nd T20 match at Mohali has put a question mark against Yuvraj Singh's availability for the ODI series opener against Sri Lanka.

Initially, the injury was expected to put him out of action for a couple of weeks, but according to Dhoni, it now appears that subject to fitness he may well play in the 1st ODI itself.

India looks formidable even if Yuvraj is out injured. Sachin’s return has strengthened the already strong batting line up.

In a way, India has nothing to worry over Yuvraj’s injury as the lesser renowned but equally talented Suresh Raina can take up his role.However, Virat Kohli is expected to replace Yuvraj Singh.

With return of Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh, India is definitely a stronger side. There is also Jadeja and Praveen Kumar to control the middle overs. However, the team will certainly look at Zaheer and Harbhajan to throttle the opposition during the final overs.

Coming to the fielding, the Indian cricketers in general have been safe catchers and moderately adequate when it comes to ground fielding.

Nevertheless, the teams display during the T20 matches was abnormal enough for Dhoni to describe it as fishy. Probably, the methods introduced by the new fielding coach Mike Young may have been too radical.

Now that the cricketers have become familiar with his training methods, the overall fielding should improve.

On paper, the Indian ODI team is far ahead of the Sri Lanka cricket team. However, as a fielding unit, India is inferior to them and it may well prove to be their Achilles heel.

India: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Captain), Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Pragyan Ojha, Sudeep Tyagi and Virat Kohli.

Sri Lanka: Kumar Sangakkara (Captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dilhara Fernando, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Thilina Kandamby, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Muttiah Muralitharan, Thilan Samaraweera, Upul Tharanga, Chanaka Welegedara

Umpires: Shahvir Tarapore and Marais Erasmus.

Catch the India v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI, Rajkot match live on Neo Sports from 9.00 AM and on Geo Super.

Lalit Modi out of IPL?

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Sunday was enlivened by news reports that a faction (powerful is how reports describe them) in the BCCI are getting ready to oust Lalit Modi from his IPL post.

Apparently, his failure to win the Presidency of the Rajasthan Cricket Club and his recent meeting with Jagmohan Dalmiya has emboldened his detractors in the BCCI.

Instead of directly gunning for Lalit Modi, his detractors are questioning the need for a Commissioner for IPL. They argue that as IPL is a BCCI event, the President of the BCCI is the de facto head of IPL.

This is indeed a clever gambit by Lalit Modi’s detractors, for even if they fail, the President of the BCCI, will be henceforth favorably disposed towards them.

As for the man, Lalit Modi, he is his irrepressible self. He has “pooh-poohs” these reports and claimed these were “planted stories”.

Despite denials from him and from some senior BCCI officials, one senses an impending storm.

13/12/2009

An India- South Africa shoot –out?

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India is scheduled to play 7 Tests in the year 2010. Following India’s ascent to No.1 in ICC Test rankings, the BCCI has come in for criticism for paucity of Test matches.

Though this imbalance is not of BCCI’s (Future Tours Programme) making, the BCCI swiftly moved to address it.

Reports are now emerging that Cricket South Africa and South African Players now favour converting their oncoming 5-match ODI tour to a 2 Tests- 3 ODI Series.

In short, it means both India and South Africa now have an opportunity for shoot – out to decide who is truly the No.1 ranked Test team.

12/12/2009

2nd Twenty20 Intl, Mohali, India vs. Sri Lanka

India’s pathetic performance in the Twenty20 International at Nagpur has been analyzed threadbare. So let us not go there and instead look at what it should do to stop the sequence of defeats.

If one were to take Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s statements at face value, it is clear that the Indian cricketers are guilty of taking the Twenty20 format facetiously.

This attitude is behind the laissez-faire fielding and purposeless batting at Nagpur, which consequently led to their humiliation.

Therefore, it is imperative that the Indian cricketers take the field today with conviction.

In addition, it is vital that Indian batsmen convert their starts and stay on to complete the job.

TEAMS

India (from): Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Yusuf Pathan, Ishant Sharma, Ashish Nehra, Ashok Dinda, Sudeep Tyagi, Pragyan Ojha, R Ashwin.

Sri Lanka (from): Kumar Sangakkara, Tillekaratne Dilshan, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Sanath Jayasuriya, Mahela Jayawardene, Chamara Kapugedara, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Ajantha Mendis, Muthiah Muralidharan, Muthumudalige Pushpakumara, Dilhara Fernando, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Chanaka Welegedara.

Catch the match live on Neo Sports from 5.30 PM

7.00 PM Update

Bat first was the consensus at the toss and Sangakkara promptly elected to bat first on winning it. In all probability, the green tinge on the pitch, the overcast conditions and the ever popular 'dew factor' contributed to the decision.

The happiness of seeing Dilshan leave early was short- lived. The Indian bowlers appeared to have lost their bearings. The medium pacers bowled short and wide. The part timers bowled to a plan. They aimed to bowl at the batsmen's pad.

Though initially they drifted down the leg side, they managed to staunch the flow of boundaries. However, considering the Jayasuriya-Sangakkara onslaught, they bowled much better than the regulars.

The Indian fielding showed improvement. The ground fielding was good, sadly the catching, was poor. The low position of the lighting post probably did not help their cause.

Indian's now chase 207 for a win.

Updated at 9.30 PM

From the start Gambhir appeared agitated and intent on getting himself or his partner Sehwag run out. Fortunately the Sri Lankan’s were so inept, they could run him out only after a 50 run partnership.

Meanwhile, Sehwag was going at his usual rate, however, his timing was bit awry. This led him to not only miscue some shots but also hit the ball too hard.

For once Dhoni eschewed the nudges and went after the bowling. The partnership between Sehwag and Dhoni set the stage for typical Yuvraj innings.

Yuvraj form was so good that he made a mockery of the run rate and enabled India to win with 6 wickets and 5 balls to spare.

(Article was updated at the end of each innings.)

10/12/2009

India - Pakistan bilateral series?

In an exclusive chat with NDTV, PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt on Thursday divulged that a bilateral series between India and Pakistan is in the pipeline.

One wonders whether this confidence is based on fact or just hope.

Umpire’s Garner Garner’s support.

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The UDRS embattled umpires received unexpected support.

Joel Garner, the current director of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and manager of the West Indies team on tour of Australia, believes the umpire’s decision review system, the UDRS, is ‘a gimmick that everyone’s been experimenting with’ and should be taken out of cricket.

According to Garner, the system removes the human element from the game. ’You still want the umpires to use their own judgment,’ he said. ’If you’re going to use it, it should only be used specifically for one or two things but not that you question every little thing that happens with the umpires.’

Virender Sehwag amongst the top 5.

Virender Sehwag batting at Adelaide Oval

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Virender Sehwag’s near triple century against Sri Lanka in the third Test not only put India at the top of ICC Test ranking but also vaulted him to the 5 th rank in Test batsmen rankings.

Sehwag’s 293 catapulted him to the 5th position and it also marked the 1st time Sehwag regained top 5 ranking since 2006.

The latest ICC batsmen rankings has 2 Indian’s in the top 5, Gambhir at No.1 and Sehwag at No.5.

The other Indian batsmen are Dravid at 16, Tendulkar at 18 and Laxman at 19.

09/12/2009

Ind vs SL, 1st T20I, Nagpur

India won the toss and chose to field - a decision that appears largely taken due to the dew factor.

In the first 3 overs Nehra and especially Ishanth, subjected Jayasuriya and Dilshan to a fiery self examination.

However, from then on it was downhill all the way for India.

There were dropped catches, misfields and inane bowling in abundance. So much so one was left wondering whether the new fielding coach spent any time with the Indian cricketers.

In short what was going to be a 160 runs chase has now enlarged to 216. This score was largely due to a rather pumped up Sangakkara making a 78 off 37 balls.

A word about Jayasuriya: He appears past it and it is time for him to retire gracefully. One will be surprised if Mumbai Indians renews his contract.

Update 5:30 AM

The India chase was a picture of extremes; there was inspired batting from Gautam Ganbhir followed by inane batting from the rest.

At the fall of Sehwag's wicket, Gambhir just shifted gears and provided a sequence of 4's on the offside that was breath taking.

Sadly the rest of the Indian batsmen perished in a heap. Without exception, they appeared to be under a spell of machismo and tried to hit every ball over the ropes only to find that their desire exceeded their capacity.

The sudden change in Sri Lanka's fortune was brought in by Jayasuriya, who proved that as a bowler he has not lost his mojo.

The result India lost to Sri Lanka by 29 runs and failed to finish off what they started - which to me is an unpardonable sin.

Why not ask Ponting?

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Why bother about the Umpire Decision Review System, when all you have to do is ask Ricky Ponting:

Ponting's comment that "the new system was meant to stop this sort of thing happening but it hasn't" was bizarre for you either have a review system and accept its findings, as clearly he was unable to do in the first instance, or you do not. It becomes pointless. Perhaps the way to go for matches involving Australia is simply for the umpires to ask Ricky what he thinks and go with that.

I agree.:)

Mark Benson clarifies

The ICC released a statement on Tuesday in which Mark Benson put his departure down to illness and expressed his desire to continue in ICC Elite Panel for Umpires.

This should put to rest all speculation over his surprise walkout after the first day of the Adelaide Test.

However, his future as a Test umpire is uncertain after the International Cricket Council insisted that he pass medical tests before continuing.

Will India play more Tests?

India is scheduled to play only two Tests that too against Bangladesh until November 2010.

Now that India is No.1 in the Test rankings DNA reports that the BCCI is scrambling to include more Tests in the schedule.

In this regard, BCCI has targeted the 2 ODI series to be played against Australia and South Africa and appears keen on reworking the series to include Tests matches.

Unfortunately, if the latest news reports are to believed South Africa has already rejected the proposal.

Now it is up to the Australians to agree and help India to have a go at retaining the No. 1 position.

08/12/2009

Australia retain Frank Worrell Trophy

Australia underwent artificial tension before forcing a draw during the last session of the 2nd Test at Adelaide Oval against the West Indies.

Australia lost 2 quick wickets in the final session thus emboldening Chris Gayle to apply pressure by bringing in fielders in close catching position.

However, Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin survived to finish the day at 212 for 5.

Though the cricket was absorbing on all the 5 days, on hindsight it appears that West Indies lost their chance to force the issue when they opted to continue batting on the 5th day.

Now one has to wait and see whether the West Indies can carry the momentum into the final Test at the WACA and level the series.

India Tops Test Cricket Rankings

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The 2-0 series triumph over Sri Lanka sealed the top test cricket ranking for India.

The No.1 ranking is a result of India’s consistent performance in Test cricket over an extended period.

The fact that India has never slipped below the third rank since 2007 exemplifies India’s consistency.

In addition, the fact that more points is awarded for overseas wins and for beating higher ranked teams, in this case Australia and South Africa should lighten the heart of Indian cricket fans and tongue-tie the critics.

A look at their overseas record, India drew a test series in Australia, defeated Pakistan, New Zealand, England and West Indies is sure to silence those who believe that India can win only in favorable conditions.

However, the fact that India is yet to win a series in Australia and in South Africa is an unforgivable blemish, better rectified sooner than later.

Sadly, the BCCI mandarin’s have structured the Test schedules in such a way that India is denied the opportunity to not only hold on to their rankings but also a chance to take on South Africa and Australia in the near future.

Mark Benson Muddles UDRS

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Why did Mark Benson abruptly leave the Adelaide Test?

The International Cricket Council (ICC) says Mark Benson quit because of a combination of stress and recurring health problems.

However, speculation persists that he quit abruptly at the end of the 1 st Day of the Adelaide Test between Australia and the West Indies because he felt humiliated by the Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS).

Whatever the reason, by his hasty departure, Mark Benson has drawn unwanted notoriety on the fledgling UDRS.

Leaving aside Benson’s irrational behavior it is time to look at the UDRS dispassionately and understand why it is the centre of attention.

The UDRS is an attempt to eliminate obvious umpiring decisions howlers. Instead, what has happened is that it appears to have exacerbated the acrimony surrounding it.

However, is the opprobrium justified?

Look at what Lawrence Booth has to say:

Problems have arisen not because – as romantics such as Dickie Bird believe – the on-field umpires have been stripped of their authority, but because both the players and the TV umpires have exceeded their brief. The ICC, in trying to deal with the kind of umpiring-induced bad blood that marred India’s tour of Australia in 2007-08, have made it clear all along that the UDRS is there to get rid of the howlers. And that is it.

Sadly, even if Benson announces that he quit due to ill health, the UDRS will still carry the stigma.

To erase this infamy, players should stop trying to game the UDRS and the umpires should learn to be suppress their ego.

07/12/2009

Sean Morris for Rajasthan Royals

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The Rajasthan Royals today announced the appointment of Sean Morris as their new Chief Executive Officer.

Interestingly his stint as CEO of the Professional Cricketers Association (PCA) where his involvement in the England team returning to India after the Mumbai attacks and his opening of a window for England players to participate in the IPL appears to have tilted the scales in his favor.

He will assume immediate responsibility and focus on development of the Rajasthan Royals brand outside of India.

06/12/2009

India- an undeserving No.1

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Simon Wilde believes India is an undeserving No.1 in Test cricket rankings.

Here are his reasons:

If one takes out their deification by their own fans, India is hardly obvious top-dog material. They remain a mentally fragile side, as their recent ODI defeat at home to Australia showed. Having done much of the hard work in chasing a mammoth 351 in Hyderabad, they choked within sight of the winning line. Their spirits broken, they barely turned up for the next game. It was another format of the game admittedly, but it exposed India’s lack of belief – as did their reluctance to subject themselves to the new umpiring referral system.

Note that the main thrust of his argument has nothing to do with the way India performs as a Test side.

In fact, what this bigotry reveals is that the English are unable to digest India’s ascendancy in cricket and still believe that only the white man can claim supremacy.

(P.S. I personally believe the ranking method needs an overhaul)

05/12/2009

3rd Test, 4th Day Impressions, India vs. Sri Lanka, 2009

The first hour of play was a quiet period.

Harbhajan got rid of Dilshan early. That quieted my fears on Dilshan imposing himself on the game.

However, as I feared Indian’s could not make headway. Bhajji bowled an amazing couple of over’s, Sreesanth and Zaheer were on the spot, but unthreatening.

Ojha appears to have lost his mojo. The Indian bowling appears flat and low on both inspiration and enthusiasm.

It is hard work from now on.

Update 7.00 P.M.

India made steady gains but not at the speed one desired.

If you look at the day dispassionately, it was a good day’s cricket. There was good thrust and play that made the game a Test match.

However, as a passionate Indian fan, the day was a let down. The Indian bowlers wormed their way through the Sri Lankan’s to leave them tottering at 274 for 6. Nevertheless, where they failed in was in their inability to land the killer punch.

Now with the lead reduced to less than 50 runs, it appears India will have to bat again.

If Sri Lanka manages to hang on and leave India with 150 for a win, there is no telling how the batsmen will fare against Murali on a 5 th day pitch.

04/12/2009

3rd Test, 3rd Day Impressions, India vs. Sri Lanka-2009

After yesterday’s adrenalin rush anything, less would have been an anti-climax.

So even though India leads by 143 runs with 7 wickets in hand, it appears as if Sri Lanka has reasserted itself.

What can one say about Sehwag getting out 7 runs short of 300, other than that this will only feed his legend?

As most commentators were saying following his dismissal, Sri Lanka bowlers found some spite in the pitch.

Now on it is a waiting game for India- score as many runs as possible and try to thrust Sri Lanka openers to face the twilight.

Update: 5.00 PM

Somehow, one gets the feeling that the Indian batsmen showed alack of urgency.

Almost all of the recognized batsmen scored, with Dhoni going on to make a 100.

Still, a lead of 334 odd runs appears slightly below par. If Sri Lanka can rid themselves of the mentality of a defensive game, the Indian batsmen may well find themselves batting on a wearing pitch on the 5th day.

03/12/2009

3rd Test, 2nd Day Impressions, India vs. Sri Lanka/2009

Well my wish was granted. I wanted India to wrap up the Sri Lankan innings quickly, which they promptly did.

I wanted Sehwag to exhibit some tenacity. He is still there at lunch looking as cuddly as a hibernating bear.

The reason why I wanted Sehwag to last past lunch was to watch him take on the Murali and Herath. I believe that the way Indians play these two in the 1st innings will prove to be decisive.

Hence, my wish that Sehwag lasts until lunch.

Now let us see how he defangs the spinners. If he messes it up, you can be sure that Indian will make heavy weather of their innings.

Update 5.15 PM

Virender Sehwag: 284 from 239 balls.

India: 443 for 1.

Writing anything more will be superfluous and a sacrilege.

02/12/2009

3rd Test, 1st Day Impressions – India vs. Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka won the toss and rightly batted first. Straight away one could see that Indian bowlers were in for some hard work.

There was indeed some swing and bounce in the pitch and both Zaheeer and Sreesanth proceeded to waste it by bowling the wrong line and length.

Actually, Zaheer got some exaggerated swing, the sort of swing that makes the ball swerve to second slip on passing the bat. Good for getting the negligible crowd excited but bad for business.

Sreesanth’s bowling was too short; unfortunately, the carry off the pitch was such that the ball had enough energy to reach Dhoni’s waist.

It looks as if it will be up to the spinners to halt Sri Lanka. In fact, the ball the got Harbhajan the wicket spun and took the shoulder of the bat to be caught at slip.

One expects that in this test match the spinners will account for wickets in identical fashion.

Update: 05.35 p.m.

Well the match turned on its head during the post lunch session when Mahela Jayawardene miscued a hook and lost his wicket.

From then on, the match was even in the sense, Sri Lanka carried on scoring at a good rate and the Indian bowlers continued to punch holes in the Sri Lankan batting.

However, the day ended with Sri Lanka in a position to dictate terms and with Gambhir not in the squad to nullify Muralitharan, India certainly has a fight in its hands.

One can almost imagine the Sri Lankan’s Murali and Herath salivating at the prospect of bowling in the 4 th innings.

01/12/2009

India vs. Sri Lanka 3rd Test Mumbai

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India’s 3rd Test against Sri Lanka has taken a different hue, as a win will make India the No.1, team in ICC’s Test Championship table.

Though the number 1 rating may well turn out to be temporary, it has invested the final test match between the No 2 and the No 3 team with something more than a mere Test series decider.

However, the key factor once again will be the pitch. If one goes by history, this Test match may well follow the 11 other Test matches that ended in a draw.

Wasim Jaffer, the Mumbai opener, claims the pitch has changed and may well afford swing in the evening session and some drift and bounce for the spinners.

Obviously, the swing for the seamers and drift for spinners can be attributed to the proximity to the sea. What made Jaffer certain of bounce in the pitch is debatable.

The pitch due to the season could well be damp and the ball may exhibit a tendency to squat.

Which means Ajantha Mendis may prove a handful if he can bowl a good line.

Contrastingly, Sreesanth’s huffing and puffing might make the ball sit up.

Overall, this test match appears headed for a draw and most of the unknowns in the Sri Lankan squad along with the Lord of the Flat track Mahela Jayewardene, may well end up scoring a double century.

For Indian cricket fans hoping to see India at No.1 are sure to be disappointed. The more realistic Indian players may well be happy to protect the 1-0 lead.