Is Pietersen’s switch-hitting an pioneering event?

This article compares his switch-hitting to many other sports pioneering moments.

Interestingly it considers Muralitharan's Doosra as another.

Which brings us to the similarities between the doosra and switch- hitting.

• Both have dubious origins.
• Doosra and switch-hitting have divided cricket followers.
• Their legality is debatable.
• The Doosra survives as the ICC 'bend' its rules.
• Similarly, switch-hitting needs ICC 'helping hand' to gain respectability.

Are there more similarities?

Technorati Tags doosra,switch-hitting

Pietersen and the legality of switch hitting

Holding has this to say about it.

 

"Bowlers have to say which hand they are bowling with, so I don't see why batsmen should be allowed to change from right-handers to left-handers at a whim."

 

I am in agreement, even if it is for a ball, a batsmen has to declare his intentions in advance.

 

Your opinion?

Technorati Tags     Pietersen,switch-hitting,legality

Cricket in Toronto - BCCI misses an opportunity

PCB has put one over the BCCI. After weeks of effort, the Pakistan Cricket Board has finally managed to rope in sponsors for a Twenty20 tri-series against West Indies and Bangladesh in Canada from August 13 to 16.   A PCB official said the Twenty20 tournament was being organised to exploit the growing popularity of the new form of the game particularly since it was the best way to woo fans in North America.   How did the BCCI miss this money making opportunity?

Technorati Tags     Toronto,PCB,BCCI

When you attack too much, runs begin to flow

Summing up the just concluded West-Indies - Australia Test series Ricky Ponting makes an unusual statement.

 

It's the style of play more than anything else. You have to accept that the game may go into the fifth day and you have to be patient. You have to grind an innings out, or in the middle of a bowling spell, not try to attack too much.

 

"When you attack too much, runs begin to flow, and the batting team gets momentum in the game, and it starts slipping away from you.

 

This statement contradicts a common cricketing wisdom that "attack is the best form of defense".

 

So what does Ponting mean?

 

Most probably, Ponting has used the word 'attack' to mean 'experimentation'. In essence he is saying that during a Test match there will be one or more passages of play where the bowling team should just stick to the basics.

 

Bowl a line and length, deny boundary scoring opportunities and field sharply. Then the pressure will mount on the batsmen and they will try to be innovative and take risks. This will provide the bowling team the opportunity to dismiss them.

 

 

Technorati Tags     Ponting,Cricket

Umpires decision review appeals to mimick Billy Bowden

India's test cricket tour of Sri-Lanka starting next month will see players appealing against an umpire's decision for the first time.

However, how will a player signal an appeal?

"For reviews concerning potential dismissals, the player should then indicate 'out' by raising his finger above his head or indicate 'not out' by crossing his hands in a horizontal position side-to-side in front and above his waist three times. "

The ICC appears to have taken a easy way out and modified Billy Bowden's antics.

Technorati Tags review,trial,Umpire

Allan Border's baggy green up for auction

ONE of Australia's most famous baggy green cricket caps is up for auction. As Auctioneer Charles Leski admits, "baggy greens are iconic and rarely offered for public sale."
Wonder whether Allan Border is selling it to pay his bills.

Stanford Twenty20- Why is the ECB willing to kiss his behind?

Ever wondered why Stanford is throwing good money after the bad?

"Stanford is clearly not an idiot: he's paying massively over the odds for something in the short-term, which means he must have big plans for getting his dough back, and then some, in the longer term. How this will come to pass is as yet unclear, but it looks pretty much that the ECB will be doing whatever it is that he wants them to do."

Forget Stanford for a minute, ever wondered why ECB is eager to kiss his behind?

Can we put it down to racism?

Technorati Tags: ECB, Stanford, Twenty20

Tri-series- Indo-Pak final- Dhoni left it too late

Dhoni left it too late.

He should have taken the attack, or tried to take the attack by the scruff of its neck much earlier.

By delaying, he reduced the possibility of success and increased the probability of failure.

Having said that Pakistan virtually batted India out of the match.

What do you think?

Championship League- any Pakistan team playing?

Pakistan's non- participation is one of the intriguing aspects surrounding the Twenty20 Championship league.

With a well established Twenty20 league of its own, one would expected their finalists to be a part of the Championship league. However, there was no mention of a Pakistan Twenty20 team playing in it.

Now to add more confusion," Nasim Ashraf, the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday claimed that one team from Pakistan would also be seen in action at the $5 million Champions League".

Is this an attempt by the PCB to force the issue or did the organisers of the Championship league have a change of heart?

[Caption]

Indo -Pak Cricket- most dreaded superstition.

Indian Express lists some of the superstitions that surrounds an India - Pakistan Cricket Match.

Indo-Pak cricket in the ‘80s and ‘90s was full of superstition — like playing a Friday final meant Pakistan’s win was a given, while a Saturday schedule suited the Indians. The Indians were supposed to be gentle souls, firmly vegetarian — though there wasn’t a formal veg/non-veg head-count taken, and nor was there a science-paper published linking not eating meat to not being mean. But, they generally ended losers. Pakistan, on the other hand, were boisterous, ate everything, had factions in their team and more captains than one could count. But they always won.

To me Miandad was my superstition. If that man was fit and playing it meant a Pakistan victory. I always equated an Indian win with getting rid of Miandad cheaply.

Do you have any superstition? Which one did you dread most?




Technorati Tags India,Pakistan,Cricket

ICC World T20- another ICC muck up

The finalists from the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier will play in the ICC World Twenty20 2009.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the schedule for the inaugural six-team ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier (WT20 Qualifier), which will take place in Ireland from August 2 to 4. Kenya and the Netherlands will get the short, sharp tournament off to an exciting start in Stormont as the picturesque Belfast venue will host three matches per day culminating in the final on the Monday afternoon. At stake, apart from the pride of being the top Associate team in this form of the game, will be a place in the ICC World Twenty20 2009 being staged in England. Both finalists from this event will qualify for the big one which will take place at Lord's, the Oval and Trent Bridge next June.

But for their occasional shock wins over their more established rivals, teams from the Associate countries have performed poorly in the World Cup (ODI's). In addition, they have killed our interest by the sheer number of inconsequential games.

This is another overt attempt to get the Associate members votes and in no way enhance their cricketing growth.

Don't you feel ICC is doing its best to kill another tournament?

Technorati Tags     World,Twenty20,Cup

Asif's fate to be known on Sunday

Matters are reaching a head. The Dubai Attorney-General is likely to decide on Asif's fate on Sunday.

However, there are persistent rumors that he may be deported as early as tomorrow.

Test World Championships fails to excite Ponting

For once I am in complete agreement with Ponting.

He is not too excited about the idea of the Test World Championship.

"You're playing for a trophy every series you play," Ponting said. "It doesn't matter if it's at the end of two or three or four years, there are trophies on the line every series. We've got to look at other smaller ways."

Ah! The small ways confounds everyone.

Do you agree with him?

Lawson takes on the seniors

Asked what he thought needed to be improved in the team, Lawson said: "Oh well, there're a couple of senior players who really are legends in their own country, who sometimes don't train as hard as they should and sometimes when a game gets into a pressure situation, they don't actually perform." Lawson also said he had been trying to get rid of the team's "hierarchy system."

 

However, how does making public his dissatisfaction help? One suspects Lawson is preparing grounds to justify his failure.

International Cricket Council to review Marlon Samuel's ban

The banned West Indian all –rounder Marlon Samuel may get a reprieve as the ICC is set to review his case.

 

It may mean that he can play for the West Indies earlier than expected.

 

However, it seems a travesty of justice to ban him without following the due process of law. In a way the failure to follow the process may well save him even if his guilty.

 

 

 

Vengsarkar gets a Rs 1-cr IPL windfall

Vengsarkar's tenure as Chairman of Selectors ends this September.

As a superannuation bonus, he is reportedly set "to join the Indian Premier League's second season as Director (Cricket Operations) for a package of Rs 1 crore per annum. His detailed job profile, however, has not been revealed."

BCCI has generously compensated his loss for not writing his syndicated column.

Beau Casson the 20 th left -arm wrist -spinner

Interesting bit of cricket trivia surrounding Beau Casson. If he debuts for Australia in the third and final Test against West Indies in Barbados, he becomes the 20 th left-arm wrist-spinner to play Test cricket.

BTW, what is the difference between a left-arm spinner and a left-arm wrist-spinner?

Tri -Series Bangladesh - India beats Pakistan by 140 runs.

India muscled its way to a 140 - victory over Pakistan. The margin of victory (140 runs) is India's biggest one- day win over their arch-rivals.

Coach Lawson had hoped that Pakistan who were on a winning streak of 11 wins, beat India by a 150 run margin. Sadly the Pakistan's quest for a win came unstuck when Sehwag with the bat and then Praveen Kumar with the ball waded into the Pakistan bowling and batting respectively.

With Bangladesh making up the third team it appears another Pakistan - India finals is on the cards.

Interminable wait for Asif may end tomorrow

One suspects that there is such a strong evidence against Asif, that the Dubai authorities are at a loss on how to let him off the hook.

However, the purported return of PCB's highest official from Dubai indicates that some understanding has been reached.

In all probability Asif can be expected to be released and on completing the formalities return to Pakistan tomorrow.

Ray Jennings for Bangalore Royal Challengers?

Mallya is ensuring everything goes right for his Royal Challengers franchisee.

"Ray Jennings, the former coach of South Africa, has said he was approached by the Bangalore Royal Challengers franchise for the possibility of a coaching assignment in the second season of the IPL."

Hmm.. Where does this leave Martin Crowe?

BCCI Vs ICL The end game

The BCCI has the upper hand. The one threat to its ascendancy over ICL was the stand taken by a few counties on ICL players.

Following Modi's reiteration that any team fielding ICL men will be excluded from the The Twenty20 Championship League, it is obvious that with 5 million dollars at stake the counties will jettison the ICL players in their ranks.

It will also dissuade players who have contract to participate in the ICL's next edition.

Modi's announcement has ensured that ICL will be reduced to a Super Senior's or a veterans tournament. Surely, this is the end of ICL as we know it.

Now a Global Test championship

Cricket Australia has thrown its support behind a global Test championship.

If you are wondering why a global Test championship, it is because they consider it a sufficient antidote to the rampaging T20 plague.

Surely, it means another black hole in the FTP.

Is it enough for an all - rounder to be proficient with the bat and the ball?

Sir Gary Sobers is quoted as saying that Symonds can't be considered a great all - rounder as his bowling is not up to the standard.

This made me wonder what or who is an all - rounder in cricket. Is he the one who excels with both the bat and the ball or is it enough for an all- rounder to be excellent in one and average in the other?

Admittedly, I haven't seen Sobers play, but having seen the likes of Ian Botham, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev and Sir Richard Hadlee in action, I always thought that an all-rounder is a player who can conjure up wickets or runs against the run of play.

They needn't necessarily score a ton and take a five for in every match. All they need to do is to split open the game by taking wickets or by scoring runs. At other times they can contribute with either the bat or the ball as any other player in the team.

If we are to take Sobers comment in its entirety, none of the all- rounders I mentioned above can be deemed as all - rounders.

Who do you think is an all - rounder, one who excels with both the bat and the ball or one who is proficient and at times brilliant either with the the bat or the ball?

PCB to make an example of Asif

PCB may toughen anti-doping rules and Asif may be its first victim.

"With the pressure growing on PCB and the image of Pakistan cricket taking a beating, the chances are that Asif is released, the board will penalise him under its code of conduct for bringing the game into disrepute which has a maximum ban of five Tests or 10 one-day internationals and even a fine."

However, is the quantum of punishment a deterrent?

Australia, England and South Africa sell their soul

That's what they have done by acceding to the BCCI's demand.

"Indian Premier League franchises have negotiated the right to be given priority over English, South African and Australian domestic teams. It is understood local teams will receive compensation for releasing their stars."

I would rather watch the players playing for their native states or franchisees as the case maybe, than watch them turn out for the IPL teams.

Surely, the IPL is turning out to be a Frankenstein.

Tri - Series- India's spot in ICC ODI rankings at stake

The ensuing Tri-Series between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh is not as inconsequential as it appears.

Performance in this Tri-Series will have a direct bearing on India's and Pakistan's ODI rankings.

"India can move into third place in the ICC ODI Championship ranking if it remains unbeaten in the tri-nation series involving Pakistan and hosts Bangladesh starting in Dhaka from Sunday.

India (113) are currently on same ratings points as New Zealand but behind the Kiwis when ratings are calculated beyond the decimal point. India can take a two-point lead over New Zealand if it wins the two league matches and then the final June 14.

However, if Pakistan wins both its league matches and the final, it will leapfrog India to share third position with New Zealand. India would then drop to fifth position with 111 ratings points."

What do you think, will India end up as number 3 or as number 5?

Australian test players to miss Twenty20 Champs League

The drama has begun. I wonder what makes anything associated with IPL melodramatic.

Australian test players to miss Twenty20 Champs League as they are committed to playing in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and to a tour of India.

Wasn't the CA aware of The Championship Trophy and the tour of India when they accepted the Twenty20 Championship proposal.

This is nothing but a deliberate ploy enacted by the CA to jack up the price for letting their players participate.

Umpire Referrals trial during India - Sri Lanka Test series

The proposed trial of umpire referrals, which will include Hawk-Eye, would be between India and Sri Lanka later in July.

Actually it was intended to be tested during the upcoming England - South Africa Test series, but the proposal was abandoned as there is " unease among the players about testing the system in such a high-profile series and continued concerns about undermining the on-field umpires."

Now, now, now a question to the our English brethren, does an England- South Africa Test series qualify for a high- profile series label?

Champion’s league is a reality

England and Wales, India, Australia and South Africa have set up an eight-team event with a £2.5m cheque for the winners.

The two finalists from the ECB Twenty20 Cup, will line up against India's Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, Western Australia and Victoria, and the Titans and KwaZulu Natal Dolphins from South Africa.

India converts spinners into medium pacers

"Every time we take young spinners away to the sub-continent they come back as medium pacers," Jenner was quoted as saying in The Daily Telegraph.

As the pitches in India play low and slow, he feels the spinners start bowling faster and hence they lose their flight and spin.

Does this explain the success of Anil Kumble? I ask this question because all of us know of period when he was considered our fastest bowler.

Pathans – India’s Waugh brothers?

The Pathans have a very good chance to play for India together.

Obviously, they have a long way to go before they are mentioned in the same breath as the Waugh’s, however one hopes they serve India with the same distinction as the Waugh brothers served Australia.

BTW, just wondering, have a set of brothers played for India?

Tests to be jazzed up

Is there any necessity to jazz up Test cricket?

 

I think not. However, in the name of making Test cricket as appealing as T20, the " Cricket chiefs are working on plans to make Test matches more attractive and ensure the popular Twenty20 format does not destroy the traditional five-day game.

 

Others have already said, that Twenty20 appeals to a different kind of audience. Similarly, the appeal of Test cricket is undiminished among the 'traditionalist' followers of the game.

 

The danger to Test cricket lies at the hands of these self-styled cricket mandarins.

 

Obviously, they have a unlimited capacity to miss the wood for the trees.

Sreesanth ruled out of the tri-series

Sreesanth's unavailability for the tri-series highlights the hazard of playing as many  matches in as many days.

 

However, before we blame IPL one wonders, whether the players were carrying injuries coming into the tournament. In addition it is pertinent to ask whether they were they forced to play by their owners or did they play with injuries in the IPL on their own accord.

 

 

 

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My apologies

Wonder whether anyone noticed that I haven't been responding to your (readers) comments for the last two days .

Kindly refrain from construing that I have taken you all for granted.  The fact is, my blog is exhibiting peculiar behavior. I am able to post but when I try to reply to your comments, the pages refuse to load.

Hopefully, it will set right by itself. ( My knowledge of blogging software is zilch. Google has until now taken care of that part of my blog.)

As for no blog posts yesterday, I had to go to Tirupur to attend a family event.

Hope to be back in action by afternoon.

Cheers.

Warne labels most of his Captain's 'average'

Guiding a team of no - hoppers to a tournament win appears to have given him the platform to let fly at some of his former Captains.

 

In an interview, Warne claims he played under a few average captains in his life time.

 

Should we conclude that Warne is expressing his frustrations or do we conclude he has gotten a swollen head?

England to emulate 123-year old record.

ENGLAND will emulate a 123-year-old record when they take to the field for today's final npower Test against New Zealand.

It is the first time since 1884-5 that England have named the same line-up for five successive Test matches.

Can you label such a tenuous associations as a record?

Indian to head Cricket New South Wales (NSW)

We have colonised Australia.

 

An Indian origin Australian has become the chairman of arguably the strongest state cricket association - Cricket New South Wales (NSW).

 

Its only a matter of time - we will rule the world (cricket).

IPL in a theatre near you

Cinemas which reeled under the impact of IPL this year are planning to lure the IPL audience by playing the matches on cinema screens.

Multiplexes are gearing up for their next leg of digitisation that may see 5,000 3D digital projections being installed by 2009. This means by next year, live-action screenings in multiplexes like IPL matches will promise an altogether new experience for viewers — by taking them as close to the action as is virtually possible.

Ah! the visceral joy of seeing cheerleaders in 70 mm, should equal any 'item' number.

New Zealand team's latest secret weapon - a pair of secret trousers.

Things are looking 'patchy' for the New Zealanders.

 

Some New Zealand players have reportedly been road testing the high-tech new micro-shine trousers, which feature a patch to impart more shine to the ball and thereby help it to swing.

 

I reserve my comments.

 

 

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Chennai Super Kings franchisee owners break even

Following the footsteps of the Kokatta and the Mohali franchisee, the India Cements owned Chennai franchisee announced marginal profit.

ICL had bid $91 million or about Rs 360 crore for owning the Chennai Super Kings team over a 10-year period. Mr Rakesh Singh, Joint President, (Marketing), India Cements, said
ICL had spent about Rs 70 crore on the whole exercise so far. This
included Rs 36 crore as franchise fee, Rs 24 crore for administration
and players and staff salaries, and another Rs 10 crore for
advertisements and promotions.

The revenue came mainly from the central pool (distributed by BCCI/
IPL), sponsors and gate collections. The popularity of the team and the
game itself had seen gate collections at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium
exceed Rs 13 crore.

However, this blogger views these reports with skepticism. There were reports that uncomfortable questions were asked by some ICL ( India Cements Limited) board members about Rs.400 crores spent on the Chennai Super Kings franchisee in the first year.

When you compare it with the reported figures of Rs. 360 crores to be spent over a 10 year period, isn't there room for skepticism?

Asif's soul mates

One is unsure whether the drugs in Asif's possession are performance enhancing ones. However, here is a list of other cricketers caught using drugs.

• Ian Botham: Suspended for smoking cannabis in 1986.
• Wasim Akram, Mushtaq Ahmed and Waqar Younis: Charged with possession of marijuana in 1993.
• Stephen Fleming , Matthew Hart and Dion Nash were fined and suspended for smoking cannabis in 1994
• Phil Tufnell was suspended and fined for failing to turn up for a drug test in 1997.
• Paul Smit was banned for two years for usage of cocaine in 1997.
• Keith Piper was banned and fined after testing positive for cannabis in 1997.
• Ed Giddins was caught taking cocaine in 1999.
• Herschelle
  Gibbs, Andre Nel, Justin Kemp, Paul Adams and Roger Telemachus were
  Fined for smoking marijuana during South Africa's tour of West Indies
  in 2001.
• Shane Warne was banned for a year after diuretic was detected before 2003 World Cup.
• Graham Wagg was banned for 15 months after admitting to cocaine use in 2004.

I have deliberately omitted the 'enfant terrible' of Pakistan cricket, Shoaib Akthar from the list as he is still contesting the charge.

Update - Asif says he was framed

Asif claimed he was a bit drunk and got into an argument with airport officials which led to a brawl and he slapped one of them.

According to Asif this led the Dubai airport officials to implicate him on a drug charge.

Wonder what will happen to the earlier statement that the drug was a medication given to him by a local hakeem.

Asif, drugs and the local Hakeem

The PCB is awaiting the result of the blood test conducted on Asif in Dubai. Interestingly the Press Trust of India reports that if the result proves positive, the PCB will ban him immediately.
However, the PCB in Asif's defense has put forth the theory that the drugs are medications given to Asif by a local Hakeem.
Remains to be seen whether this defense hold water.

Mohali SSP asked to take a walk

The Punjab government has asked Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ranbir Singh Khatra to go on one month leave following his public spat with Ness Wadi, industrialist and owner of Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kings XI Punjab.

Never knew owning a franchisee means you own the whole state (catchment area). :)

Accept Warne's offer now

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reacted cautiously to Indian Premier League title winning Rajasthan Royals skipper Shane Warne's offer of being ready to mentor young Indian spinners, saying it was too early to give a thought to the proposal put forward by the leg spin wizard.

This is an inexplicable statement. Warne himself has offered his services and furthermore any doubts on his capacity to integrate with Indian's and motivate young players are dispelled post his success with Rajasthan Royals.

In addition, though we boast of legendary spinners like   Prasanna,Venkatraghavan,Chandrasekhar and Bedi, they  have been failures in unearthing and developing  spinners.

The BCCI should jump at this chance and engage Warne to mentor young Indian spinners.

Surely, other cricket boards would have sealed the deal by now.

Bedi says Cricketers are 'deviants'

True to form, Bedi gives Indian cricketers another opportunity to love him.

Taking stock of the present day scenario in cricket, Bedi came down heavily on sports persons and not the sport for deviation from its path.

"Cricket is not deviating from its path, rather, the cricketers are deviating from their path. There were times when the game and the player looked merged into one another, such was the dedication for cricket. Now-a-days, it has all vanished and lost into a void. And there are certain reasons behind it."

Strong words, but is he being harsh??

Heavy Jowls and jiggly arms

This blogger avoids poking fun at cultured ladies. However in the same breath one admits to irritation with the talk about Preity Zinta's full body hugs and how it served as motivation for her Punjab Kings XI team.

The accompanying photograph makes one wonder whether the loss in the semi-final can be attributed to the realisation among the impressionable young men in the team, that things are not as it seems.

A distraught Preity Zinta reveals her age. ( Photo: Hindustan Times)

MacGill announces surprise retirement

In what can be termed a surprise, an Australian team spokesman announced Stuart MacGill's retirement from international cricket. He is to retire at the end of the second Test against the West Indies played at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground.

 

A proud man and a player unfairly and harshly compared with his contemporary and legend Shane Warne, MacGill decided to call it a day saying "As I said many times last summer, there is no way I will ever walk onto a cricket field unless I can guarantee that I can dismiss top order batsmen consistently.

"The prospect of letting myself and the team down is simply not an option. I have worked way too hard for too long to sabotage my achievements by playing Test cricket for the wrong reasons."

 

For the statistically minded, MacGill played 43 Tests for Australia, taking 207 wickets at an average of 28.28 and a strike rate of 53.1. His strike rate is rated the best among the modern spin bowlers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IPL leaves a void.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is going to leave behind a void that will be hard to fill, BCCI President and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar remarked today.

 

One way to fill the void would be to watch the highlights and replays endlessly.

 

Have you any suggestions?

 

Warne reveals the secret behind Rajasthan Royals success

According to Warne

 

 

Having just four days with the squad before the start of the IPL, Warne said he along with performance coach Jeremy Snape and director of coaching Darren Berry worked day and night to get an idea of what his players were capable.

 

"When we reached here we wanted a background of all the players through the local coaches which unfortunately we didn't get. We played two practice games straight away and watched every player in detail as to how they approached the game, their shot making, running between the wickets, fitness and other aspects," he said.

 

If this is what it takes to knit together a league leading side, then why did the Royal Challengers and the Deccan Chargers fail?

 

Surely, there is more to Rajasthan Royals success than mere SWOT analysis.