Sehwag’s intent made the difference.

Mukul Kesavan dissects Mendis hold over the Indian batsmen and comes up with why Sehwag succeeded against him.

His technique has always been fundamentally different from that of the others. His footwork is minimal, he plays alongside the ball without committing himself to a line till the last moment and he played Mendis off the pitch. It worked for him because his hand-eye coordination is exceptional and his instinct is to attack: Mendis never got an opportunity to set him up as he did with the more defensive Dravid or Laxman.

Well said Mukul, Sehwag’s audacity was the key difference. Where other accomplished batsmen were intent on dour defense, Sehwag was intent on total annihilation.

If you cannot read Mendis, blame your cricket gear

How much more ridiculous can it get. Ranil Abeynaike says that "Modern cricketing gear make Mendis difficult to crack".

I would not be surprised if other cricketing experts spring out of the woodwork to claim that a batsmen should have been breast fed as an infant to play Mendis.

Continuing the trend of so-called cricket experts, I call upon you the real experts, i.e., readers of this blog to contribute your expert opinion on why Indians find Mendis unplayable.

For starters, contemplate; has Deepika Padukone anything to do with it?

Badrinath gets his chance

Badrinath makes his debut as Gambhir pulls out of today’s game due to a stiff neck.

Now it is up to Badri to grab this unforeseen opportunity with both hands and make a reputation for himself.

Move ICC Champions Trophy out of Pakistan

When the majority is averse to playing in Pakistan, the ICC should accept the legitimacy of their concern and move the Champions Trophy to an acceptable location.

 

Instead of worrying whose turn it is to profit, the ICC should relieve the uncertainty surrounding the tournament.

 

Dhoni to miss Champions League finals

This announcement should assuage those who worried about IPL's insensitivity to other formats of cricket.

 

The Champions League, jointly organised by the BCCI, Cricket Australia (CA) and Cricket South Africa (CSA), will be held from December 3-11, and will be sandwiched between the India-England ODI and Test series.

 

The first Test begins on December 11 and VB Chandrasekar, director of cricket operations for Super Kings, suggested Dhoni might make himself unavailable for the final to turn out for India. "More weightage should be given to Indian team,"

 

 

Wholesale changes in the PCB

Following Nasim Ashraf's  resignation, wholesale changes are expected in the PCB.

It is said that a new PCB Chairman has his own set of cronies as office-bearers and selectors.

This time however, the new dispensation is expected to appoint a new Captain and a coach for Pakistan.

Will we see Younis Khan as the captain of Pakistan?

Sehwag out of the ODI series

It appears that Sehwag's injury is severe enough to leave India without its most accomplished batsmen for the rest of the series.

 

Without Sehwag in its ranks, the series is as good as over for India.

 

Kohli who played in his stead looks patently undercooked and unfortunately, the composition of the squad is such that there is no apt replacement.

 

If India were to entertain any hope of winning matches in this series, they would do well to look at Irfan Pathan as an opener.

 

Likewise, Badrinath should be included to bolster the middle order.

India crash to Murali and Mendis again

Ajantha Mendis and Muthiah Muralitharan ran through the Indian batting order at claiming six wickets in the first ODI at Dambulla.Along with the help of their pace men they shot out India for 146. Mendis and Murali shared 6 wickets.

 

For India Yuvraj Singh was the top scorer with 23. The debutant Kohli performance was as unimpressive as his performance in the IPL. The rest of the batsmen followed the familiar pattern of getting a reasonable start only to succumb weakly.

 

India:

 

Fall of wickets:

 

1-0 (Gambhir), 2-23 (Kohli), 3-36 (Raina), 4-73 (Yuvraj), 5-75 (Sharma), 6-87 (Dhoni), 7-87 (Pathan), 8-107 (Zaheer), 9-117 (Harbhajan), 10-146 (Patel).

 

Can you call a person playing tennis ball cricket a sportsman?

The Tennis Ball Cricket Federation of India and the Gujarat State Tennis Ball Cricket Association filed an appeal against an earlier order ruling out this form of cricket as a recognized one.

 

Both the sports bodies have challenged observations made in May by Justice Bhagwati Prasad that "cricket with tennis ball is not cricket, and playing the gentleman's game with a tennis ball would not make you a sportsperson".

 

Though the genesis of the case is mundane, I am sure there are many people who take their tennis ball cricket seriously and consider themselves as sportspersons.

 

Don't you think a tennis ball cricketer is as much as sportsman as those who play cricket with a cricket ball?

Russian Cheer Leaders for Sri Lankan ODI series.

India-Sri Lanka match on Monday is set to become the first ODI to boast of cheer girls.
The Russian girls will dance to Bollywood tunes.

Photo courtesy: lyn_berenbaum

Yippee!

ODI series - Indian batting vs. Sri Lankan spin duo.

Is this series a battle between Muthiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and the Indian batting line up? Alternatively, is there something more to the mix?

 

The failure of the seniors to handle the Lankan spin duo has caused the limelight to fall on the wannabe's in the ODI team.Rightly or wrongly, this series is looked upon as one which will determine how prepared the 'young turks' are to take up the slack of their seniors.

 

If the Raina's and Rohit's prove themselves capable of handling the Sri Lankan spin duo and in the bargain emerge victorious, calls for the retirement of the seniors from Test cricket will become vociferous.

 

This blogger has a gut feeling that this ODI series will see Raina stake a claim for a place in the Tests.

Marcus Trescothick's reveals what bugged him.

Marcus Trescothick's shock exit from two England tours became one of sport's biggest mysteries.

 

You can read what drove him in first of two exclusive extracts from his forthcoming autobiography 'Coming Back To Me' here.

 

Did Bradman foresee the umpire 'referral 'system?

Cricket Australia has discovered confidential letters written by Sir Donald Bradman during his days as the game's administrator.

 

Out of the lot, "one letter suggests that a batsman should be given out leg before wicket if he does not play at the ball – even if it is pitched outside leg stump."

 

I wonder whether Bradman had an inking of the referral or review system.

 

 

Scotland takes on England

Scotland vs. England on Monday at Raeburn Place, Edinburgh.

 

For the first time a full strength, English squad takes on their neighbors Scotland in an one-day International. 

England in all probability will mulct the newbie's. The interest however lies in observing how Scotland performs outside a World Cup.

 

Scotland squad: Ryan Watson (Forfarshire, captain), Gavin Hamilton (East Brierly), Kyle Coetzer (Durham), Navdeep Poonia (Warwickshire), Colin Smith (Aberdeenshire), Neil McCallum (Grange), Richie Berrington (Greenock), Craig Wright (Greenock), Calum MacLeod (Warwickshire), John Blain (Rotherham), Dewald Nel (Greenock), Gordon Drummond (Watsonians), Ross Lyons (Clydesdale).

 

England squad: Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire, captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Alastair Cook (Essex), Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Matt Prior (Sussex), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Chris Tremlett (Hampshire), Luke Wright (Sussex).

Champions Trophy - ICC will have to change the venue

It is increasingly obvious that ICC's attempt at pressurizing reluctant players to play in Pakistan is doomed.

Even after one on one meeting with ICC representatives, both New Zealand and Australian players association have expressed their reservations. South Africa and England are likely to follow suit.

Added to this will be the pressure from the broadcasters to whom the Champions Trophy sans these countries becomes commercial unviable.

ICC is truly cornered and left with no other option than changing the venue.  

 

Do not poke your nose – PCB tells Inzamam

There is never a quiet day in Pakistan Cricket.

The latest controversy to erupt is over Inzamam’s comments on Shoaib Malik and the PCB’s Chairman Nasim Ashraf.

In a recent TV interview Inzamam, called Shoaib Malik a weak Captain and blamed Nasim Ashraf’s policies for the morass Pakistan cricket find itself.

The PCB’s reaction was swift and on expected lines. They labeled Inzamam’s comment as baseless and caricatured him as a bad role model.

This is sure to set off another bout of mud slinging between the PCB and Inzamam. Let us hope that this spat does not distract PCB from concentrating on the successful conduct of the Champions Trophy.

Linford Christie says no to inclusion of cricket

 Linford Chrisitie has an unique reason for keeping cricket out of Olympics.

"Why cricket? No team sports should be allowed in the Olympics," In a team of 11 players, nine might be working hard but the other two might not. This is not in line with the spirit of Olympics," said Christie.

Guess, when a team is involved it is harder to get away with doping.

Yuvraj scores 172 against Sri Lankan XI

Sri Lankan XI v Indians, tour match, Colombo

Yuvraj's 121-ball 172 and with contributions from Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma Indians piled up a  mammoth 342 for 5 against Sri Lankan XI.

Keen observers would have noted that Ajantha Mendis is not a part of this Sri Lankan XI.

Stanford 20/20 announces Stanford Superstars 17 man squad

Sir Vivian Richards, chairman of the Stanford Superstars Selection Panel today announced the much anticipated 17 man Stanford Superstars squad to face England in the Stanford 20/20 For US$20million on November 1 at the Stanford Cricket Ground in Antigua.

The Stanford Superstars squad is:

1. Lionel Baker (Montserrat)

2. Sulieman Benn (Barbados)

3. Dwayne Bravo (Trinidad and Tobago)

4. Shivnarine Chanderpaul (Guyana)

5. Lennox Cush (Guyana)

6. Rayad Emrit (Trinidad and Tobago)

7. Andre Fletcher (Grenada)

8. Chris Gayle (Jamaica)

9. Chad Hampson (Antigua and Barbuda)

10. Lindon James (St Vincent and the Grenadines)

11. Sylvester Joseph (Antigua and Barbuda)

12. Xavier Marshall (Jamaica)

13. Dave Mohammed (Trinidad and Tobago)

14. Kieron Pollard (Trinidad and Tobago)

15. Daren Powell (Jamaica)

16. Ramnaresh Sarwan (Guyana)

17. Jerome Taylor (Jamaica)

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ECB - premature ejaculation.

That the Champions League has been rescheduled to December 3  and December 10 is old news.
What is news though is the ECB's assertion that none of the English players will take part in it.
Which if you think logically is a fact. As on date no leading English cricketer has signed on to IPL.So the ECB is correct in making this statement and feel warm about it.
However, their self-congratulations may be premature. Look at it this way. Until now, there was a doubt whether the Championship League will take place this year. Now that the event is confirmed, it is sure bet that KP, Flintoff and other English players will be targeted by Chennai SuperKings and Rajasthan Royals.
Once signed on the players will definitely put pressure on the ECB to let them play.
When you take this into account you will agree that ECB's statement regarding participation of English players is a bit premature.

(Cartoon courtesy karigaile)

Technorati Tags     Cricket,Champions,League

Mahela talks pure shit

Mahela Jayawardne's statements are pure shit drivel.
The ability to speak pure drivel in the guise of wisdom never ceases to amaze me. You can be sure that a 'winning' Captain will talk profoundly about roles, areas, weaknesses, plans and implementation. In addition he will put in a word about it being a 'team' victory.
Among the current lot Mahela Jayawardne, the Sri Lankan Captain, takes the cake. His ability to say utter nonsense is unsurpassed.
The just concluded India - Test series provided him with a lot of opportunities. However, he will struggle to surpass this:
"For us it is a team game. We are not worried what Mendis will do out there. He is just an individual in our team unit and he is going to execute a game plan, that's what we want him to do. Whether he picks up the wickets or whether he is going to make impact we're not worried about it."
If you consider this statement in the light of the fact that Sri Lanka piggy- backed on the skill of Mendis to win the Test series, surely, you will agree that it is pure drivel.

Technorati Tags India,Cricket

Yet another Twenty20 expert finds himself in the national squad.

Most countries behave as if Twenty20 format is worthless. They speak of it derogatorily as a game that requires no cricketing skills. However, the truth is otherwise. If you are to examine their selection policies, it is clear that they value a player based on his Twenty20 skills.

Shane Watson is an excellent example. He wormed his way back into the Australian squad, purely because of his astounding performances in the IPL League.

The same can said for Albie Morkel, whose reputation as a cricketer largely rests on his Twenty20 performances. The South African's have chosen to play against England in the ODI's.

So why nations and cricketers posture as if the Twenty20 games do not matter.

How do you catch the attention of the selectors?

Another English cricketer threatens to join IPL.

The English cricketers have discovered a simple method to catch the eyes of their selectors. Knowing well the ECB’s antipathy to BCCI and IPL, they believe all they have to do is to threaten to join the IPL.

Ravi Bopara and Harmison are two cricketers who talked up a non-existent IPL offer and rewarded with a berth in the English National cricket team for their duplicity. Now, Hoggard has followed suit.

The Sun quotes the discarded English fast bowler as saying, "I can see myself jumping at an offer from the IPL, if it came across.”

Well, all the best Hoggard, lets hope your tactics work.

Shoaib Akthar has the last laugh

You cannot help but admire Shoaib Akthar.

The PCB after holding out for so long finally succumbed to Shoaib’s brinkmanship and gave the go ahead for his inclusion in the Champions Trophy squad.

Just look at the sequence of events.

• Shoaib Akthar is banned for indiscipline.
• 
  
• He challenges the PCB ban in a court of law.
• 
  
• The PCB backs down slightly and lets him play in the IPL.
• 
  
• Shoaib’s ban is overturned and he gets away lightly with an 18 months ban and a fine of 7 million Pakistani rupees.
• 
  
• The challenge to this ban is still pending in the high court, but Shoaib is allowed to play until the court passes its judgment.
• 
  
• Meanwhile, PCB takes the high moral plane and refuses to select Shoaib Akthar for the Champions Trophy unless he pays the fine.
• 
  
• Shaoib goes incommunicado and PCB backs down further and asks him to take a dope and fitness test.
• 
  
• Shoaib passes both and the PCB has no other recourse but select him for the Champions Trophy.
• 
  
• PCB saves its face by claiming that the Chairman has made the Shoaib selection possible by accepting Shoaib’s request to pay the fine later.

In short, Shoaib Akthar got what he wanted. He is reinstated in the team and the small matter of 7 million Pakistani rupees will doubtless be waived if he puts in a good performance.

Shoaib however, had a stroke of luck. If Asif had not messed his career by drug allegations it is doubtful whether the PCB would have made his comeback painless.

We heard the overture in June, the fanfare in July - and now we really do hope we have heard part of the final chord. After all the brinkmanship, this is good news. - Stephen Rand

Sachin Tendulkar losing his fans esteem

Slump? I ain’t in no slump. I just ain’t hittin.- Yogi Berra

Events they say have a momentum of their own and Tendulkar is among the very few who have enjoyed an upward momentum through out his career.
It is inevitable that both good and bad has an end. In the case of Tendulkar the recently concluded Sri Lankan tour could well be the beginning of the end.
Consider this, after more than 16 years in the Indian team due to recurring injuries his continuation is very much in doubt. Until now he has been fortunate enough to miss only ODI's, but as his body ages it will be sooner rather than later when he will have to skip Tests due to injuries.
His recent dismissals are another indicator of his declining poweress.Most of them have been brought about by playing down the wrong line. Surely, it shows his batting radar is out of kilter. Sadly, his recurring breakdowns is not going to help him here as what he needs is to play more cricket at least at the domestic level in order to regain his lost touch.
This brings us to the most damning indicator. His aggregate of 95 runs in the recently concluded Sri Lankan series was his lowest in a 3 Test series.In addition to this fact, his poor performance in Sri Lanka means Sachin Tendulkar ICC rankings has dropped to his lowest ever since 1992. He now stands 23rd in ICC rankings.
If these indicators were not enough to highlight his declining career, the most damning is the fact that for first time in his career, his detractors far outnumber his fans.
One can argue that bad form, injuries, ICC rankings are temporary, but the loss of his demi-God status among Indian cricket fans cannot be attributed so. There is growing sense of realization among his fans that he had his day and it is time he retired before he is forced to do so.

Technorati Tags     Sachin,Tendulkar

Lawson the ambassador

The ICC is pulling out all stops to ensure participation of teams in the Champions Trophy.
If reports are to be believed, the ICC has approached Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson to convince the Australians and the New Zealanders about playing in Pakistan.
If you recall, most players other than the ones in the Indian sub-continent, in light of the recent spate of bombings,have expressed reservations about playing in Pakistan
ICC strongly believes Lawson is the right person to talk to the players since he is an Australian and also since he stays in Pakistan.
Lets hope that Lawson can do the trick.

Update:

The Hindu reports that Lawson left for Australia as a result of some misunderstanding over team selections with the PCB.

Technorati Tags     PCB,ICC,Champions,Trophy,Geoff,Lawson

Series loss to Sri Lanka- Kumble spreads the blame

Constantly being queried on the non-performance of the fab-four, Kumble avoided naming names. In fact when specifically asked this is how he answered:

“It is not Sachin and Sourav alone, it is important for everyone to contribute. The middle and lower order let us down. To start against two spinners is not easy and it was important for batsmen who got starts to carry on.”

Conveniently forgotten is the fact that Dravid and Laxman also did nothing of note. Also notice how he keeps harping about the difficulty of playing against two spinners. That excuse is as good as any coming out of England. Isn't it laughable that players who are reputedly the best players against spin crying hoarse over playing spinners.

In the midst of spreading blame, it is intriguing that he includes the lower order. Since Harbhajan is beyond pale, by lower order Kumble must be talking about Ishant and Zaheer. How are they to be blamed?

Did he expect them to score centuries?

Sadly, his defense of his senior pros shows he is unaware of the sand shifting under his feet. If India is to hold its head high, quiet a few 'stars' should be held  accountable and they should indeed acknowledge their failures.

ICC Test Rankings Sri Lanka snapping at India heels

Not satisfied with knocking India of its high perch, Sri Lanka is all set to take over India's mantle as the third ranked team in the ICC Test rankings.

They are now placed one step ahead of the fourth placed England team and one ranking point behind third placed India.

It appears that Sri Lanka is well on its way to be the leader among the sub-continental cricket teams.

Australia can be beaten says Pietersen

Image via WikipediaThe familiar Aussie fixation is back. A consolation Test match victory in a dead rubber has given enough confidence for the new England Captain, Kevin Pietersen to talk of beating the Aussies.

"It was not far away from the perfect start and from the way I want to play cricket in the future," he said. "If we play like this, we will beat Australia. This is a starting stage. The key is to turn up to every single Test like we have this week."

Conveniently forgotten is the fact that the Australian series is one year away. In the meanwhile, England play India in India and then take on the West Indies.

When will England realise that it is premature to talk of reclaiming the Ashes and this false bravado serves to turn them into a laughing stock of the cricketing world.

Do the deed and then we will applaud.

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India lose series decider

Sri Lanka wins the third and final test and wins series 2-1.

Unfortunately, there was neither a miracle nor rain to save us.

The Indian innings folded on expected lines. Dravid and Laxman fought the good fight, before Mendis got the breakthrough. Surprisingly it was the more assured looking Dravid who departed first. Laxman who was batting with Gambhir as his runner led a charmed life, nicking to non-existent slips and squirting catches before settling down to carry his bat.

This is the second time in this series Laxman is running out of partners. Doubtless, this will reflect in healthy averages, but his refusal to take charge when tail-enders was batting is frustrating. He neither farms the strike nor plays his shots, but plays regardless of the impending doom. One certainly wishes for some more leadership when he plays with the tail-enders in particular.

Harbhajan played some extravagant shots that fetched him boundaries. However, his contribution was too little to make a difference.

It is simplistic to conclude that India lost because its golden oldies failed. That is certainly one reason. Other than Harbhajan, not one Indian bowler took five wickets in a Test. Contrast it with the Sri Lankan bowlers, you will know it is the main reason we lost.

In addition to these two, the abject fielding contributed significantly to our failure. Both Robin Singh and Venkatesh Prasad have a lot to answer for the falling standards of their wards.

Then there is the much maligned review system. The attitude of the Indian players was that of injured innocence. Tendulkar padding up only to fall lbw to Mendis showed that the Indian batsmen are still relaying on the umpires to judge based on their reputation. Unfortunately, they failed to realize that the technology is beyond influence.

Does this mean that Sri Lanka had no part to play in our defeat? They certainly had a decisive hand and if one notices closely, you can see the wily hand of Ranatunga behind it. Sehwag’s unpredictable brilliance undid their plans to some extent; save for that innings, Sri Lanka would have won 3-0.

Badrinath replaces Tendulkar in the ODI squad

The injury sustained by Tendulkar during the second day of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka is severe enough to rule him out of the following ODI series.

However, his unavailability brings a cheer to many Badrinath fans as he replaces Tendulkar in the ODI squad.

As Tendulkar opens for India in the ODI’s it is doubtful that Badrinath a middle order batsmen, will ever play. Tendulkar’s absence means Gambhir – Sehwag partnership continues unbroken.

Coming back to Tendulkar’s injury, wonder why I am unsurprised.

Only an ‘M’ can save India.

 

Photo courtesy marklarson

India vs. Sri Lanka 3 rd Test, 3 rd Day:

As I write, Sehwag, Gambhir, Ganguly, Parthiv and Tendulkar are out. Dravid is waging a battle with a rather sick looking Laxman for company.

Though they say hope springs eternal, the situation is dire.

Only an ‘M’ - miracle can save India.

Why not Test Cricket for the Olympics?

Amrith Lal provides compelling reasons why Test cricket and not Twenty20 should feature in the Olympics.Among other telling points I found these undebatable.
Test cricket, has a long sporting history. It is played only by a handful of nations, but in those cricketing countries the game is taken seriously as a sport. It is played for the pure pleasure of playing.
Twenty20 is a game invented by television. It is more visual entertainment than sport. The rules and traditions of cricket have been subverted to suit the requirements of TV entertainment.
The propagators of the Twenty20 for Olympics cite the long drawn nature of Tests matches as its drawback.
To these questioners Amrith riposte is equivocal, If that is long and boring, don’t watch. It's not cricket's loss.

Having nothing much to add I stop by asking you,which one would you prefer and why?

Technorati Tags     cricket,Olympics

Ishant’s recovery is important

The Indian physio was busy on the second day of the Third Test. VVS Laxman turned his ankle, Tendulkar jarred his elbow and a rearing Kumble delivery, messed up Parthiv’s pretty face.

However, in the context of day three of the Test, Ishant injury may prove dear. If India is looking to price out early wickets in the morning, a fit Ishant is crucial. Or else, India is looking at a lead of a minimum 100 runs.

A lead as large as 100 runs may prove a daunting task for the Indian batsmen and the pressure could make them wilt.

For India, a vigorous Ishant is indispensable to impose itself in the game.

Photo courtesy: dario(head)

Vaas misses a rare double by 2 runs.

When Vaas got out driving Harbhajan straight to Virendar Sehwag at covers, he missed out on a rare double by 2 runs. If he had scored the 2 runs he would have completed a deserved double of scoring 3000 runs and 300 wickets.

His aggregate now stands at 2998 runs and 347 wickets in 107 Tests.

Curtains for Asif?

PCB’s three – man committee appointed to investigate Asif’s confinement at the Dubai Airport for possession of drugs have reportedly submitted their finding’s to the PCB Chairman Nasim Ashraf.
The evidence is damning. The committee reportedly has unequivocally evidence to suggest that Asif, to employ a colloquial term, is doing drugs.
Now it is left to PCB’s Chairman Nasim Ashraf to decide on the quantum of punishment.
However, this ‘evidence’ along with the report of his ‘positive’ test during IPL may well see Asif career end.

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How to get rid of Tendulkar and the other oldies

The issue which occupies any thinking Indian, an issue more important than the nuclear deal or much more worrying than rampant poverty is how to get rid of the seniors from the cricket team.

The fab-four, regardless to broad hints, refuse to make a graceful exist.Compounding their refusal is the reluctance of the grateful BCCI to wield the axe.

This leaves the onerous task of flushing the seniors out of the team to the fans. Fortunately for the Indian cricket fans, corporate India provides them a solution.

Corporate India, for the matter the corporate world has devised a sensitive way of getting rid of redundant employees. For instance, an indebted organisation creates a fresh Vice-President post and appoints these men to the post. By doing so, they achieve two objectives, one, getting rid of the employee and two, freeing the position for influx of fresh blood.

The Indian cricket fans should force the BCCI to adopt similar measures.

For example as recent as yesterday, Kohli a new inductee into the Indian team was voluble on the subject of sharing the dressing room with Tendulkar. This suggests a way to farm Tendulkar.

Make Tendulkar the coach of the Under-19 team. This will give the youngsters an opportunity to share the dressing room and gain from his experience.

BTW, we welcome similar suggestions for Laxman, Ganguly and Dravid.

Jesus – did he play cricket?

An Armenian scholar says he did:

Dr Abraham Terian, lately a visiting professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as Fulbright Distinguished Chair in the Humanities, points to an extraordinary manuscript as his source.

He notes that in the Armenian Gospel of the Infancy, translated into Armenian in the 6th century from a much older lost Syriac original, a passage tells of Jesus playing what may well be the precursor of cricket, with a club and ball.

Dr. Terian says there is good rationale to suppose that games comparable to cricket were played in the Middle East long before it was played in England. For this reason, he says Jesus did play cricket.

India relinquish advantage

Sri Lanka Vs India 3rd Test Day 1:

India won the toss and swiftly ceded the advantage to the Sri Lankan’s by their inept batting. The debutant Prasad took three early wickets and India was 102 for 3 by the 23 rd over. Dravid after suffering and making others endure his painstaking batting succumbed for 10 and Tendulkar following suit with just 6 runs. Both the batsmen were lbw playing across the line.

Since then on, wickets fell at regular intervals with Laxman and Ganguly flattering to deceive. However, Gambhir held the innings together with a fine 72. He along with Sehwag put on a 51 runs partnership before the wheels came apart.

The last wicket partnership of 50 odd runs involving Ishant and Zaheer brought an appearance of respectability and India folded at 249 in the 80 th over.

Champions Trophy: Thumbs down to Rawalpindi

Image via Wikipedia
The ICC and the PCB have decided to drop Rawalpindi as one of the venues for the Champions Trophy. The dawdling pace of construction - the Rawalpindi stadium is undergoing a facelift, is cited as the official raison d'être.

However, rumors are afoot that Rawalpindi lost out in order to assuage safety concerns. As things stand, Lucknow will hold 7 matches and Karachi will hold 8 matches counting the championship.

Unhappily, yesterday’s reports that Pakistani political parties possibly will impeach Mushraff is bad news for the Champions Trophy. Mushraff is certain to counteract it and this may lead to additional unrest, which regrettably will put a finish to all attempts by the PCB to host the competition.

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Did the national selectors do a good job?

The term of the current selection committee is coming to a close. In fact it will perform its last act by selecting the ODI team for Sri Lanka.
Surprisingly for an committee known for its regionalism and quota system, they have done a good job. They have unearthed new talent and given back confidence to quiet a few seniors.
However, one area where they have failed is in providing an exit plan to the seniors. The commonly held perception is despite good intentions the seniors refuse to let go and this selection panel with Vengsarkar at its head appear too eager to maintain the status quo.
One other area where they lacked clarity or did they deliberately confuse is the Rahul Dravid episode. From the high of winning the English series, Dravid relinquished his Captaincy and also suffer poor form and it appears the handiwork of the selection committee's Chairman.
Do you think the selection committee did a good job?

ICC meeting deadlocked – Is it curtains for the Champions League?

The International Cricket Council and the organizers of Championship were unable to arrive at an agreement over the scheduling the Champions League.
Reports indicate that both parties are conscious of the others predicament, however, the packed International schedule provides few alternatives. Nevertheless, they are considering two alternative windows, one just in advance of the Australia’s tour to India and one more between March and April next year.
The unavailability of the players may well nix the first option leaving them only the March – April slot. If the Champions League were to be deferred to March next year, it will very well mean its abandonment as Australia and South Africa will have new Twenty20 Champions by then.
The next 48 hours will decide the destiny of the inaugural Champions League. 

Technorati Tags     Twenty20,Champions,League

BCCI retaliates - Ranatunga gets his due

Regulars may remember this blogger's rightful anger against Ranatunga for back stabbing us and also for daring to talk ill about our cricket team.

Though delayed, a speculative report suggests that the BCCI has retaliated and hit Ranatunga where it hurts.

The Central Organising Committee meeting for World Cup 2011 has been postponed indefinitely following BCCI chief Sharad Pawar's inability to attend the meet. Although Sri Lankan Cricket cites official engagements as the reason for Pawar's unavailability, there is more than what meets the eye.

Yipe! This is sure to bring him back to his senses.

Can the ICC stop the Champions League?

Following an interlude, the ICC is making tough noises about the scheduling of the Champions League.

An ICC press release reveals, “The International Cricket Council (ICC) president David Morgan has called a meeting of the ICC Board for Wednesday, August 6, to discuss implications of the timing of the Champions League T20 tournament. The meeting will take place by telephone hook-up.”

The agenda ostensibly is to punish the organizers of the Champions League for scheduling the Champions League a day after the Champions Trophy.

One doubts whether the ICC will do anything drastic. It appears that the organizers of the Champions League are holding out to negotiate better with ICC or one of its constituents.

What do you think will happen?

Cut this crying shit

Over at Cricket365, they have done up an article called ‘The Crying Game’.

Yes you guessed right, it takes off from Vaughan’s tearful press conference and recounts other emotional ones.

On reading it, I felt relief that there is no Indian cricketer listed there.

Another that encapsulated in the phrase ‘cut this crying shit’ followed that emotion.

O. K. Let me explain.

I do not remember the name of the movie but this is one directed by Clint Eastwood. He acts as a rickety old sheriff.

In that movie he runs after a thug and brings him down and utters a typical Clint Eastwood one- liner, ‘cut this running shit’.

Now that I have explained, I hope you get what I am driving at.

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Is Lalit Modi turning IPL into his grandfather’s property?

The Modi clan as such seems to be gambling on IPL. Actually, it would not be frivolous to conclude that the Modi business group per se perceives it as their most bankable option to develop their business.

Observe how they are noiselessly buying up all IPL associated properties.

A $320m-$350m (£163m-£178m) deal agreed by the Canada-based billionaire BK Modi to buy a 32.2% stake in Multi Screen Media from minority shareholders has been followed only by the business press in India. But when MSM is identified by its pre-name-change moniker of Sony Entertainment Television, which is a partner in a 10-year, $1bn (£509m) deal to broadcast the Indian Premier League, it is clear that the deal might have some impact on world cricket. And when BK Modi is identified as the uncle of Lalit Modi, the IPL's commissioner and vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, it would seem he is betting on the success of his nephew's brainchild. So if a report in India's Economic Times is to be believed, it is all the more intriguing that BK Modi has allowed the exclusivity period of the negotiation to lapse, allowing a joint bid from Disney and UTV to enter the running. Has he been let in on a family secret about the viability of the IPL, or indeed perhaps the lack of it?

Along with their stake in the Rajasthan Royals, this new acquisition would guarantee that atleast one industrial house profits from IPL. Lalit Modi is going all out to ensure that.

Twenty20 for 2020 Olympics

Back when this blog was relatively unknown, news broke out about the possible inclusion of cricket in the Olympics.

I posted it on my blog along with my opinion on which format was apt for the Olympics.

This set of a series of comments and Soulberry, the father figure to most Indian cricket bloggers generously posted it in the BBC very own 606.

The majority felt that the ODI’s was the apt format. However, some insisted that Test matches were the way to go. Interestingly, the Twenty20 was never in the picture.

We are all familiar with the eventual turn of the events. Twenty20 took the world cricket by storm and even a traditionalist like the former Australian wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist has pushed for the inclusion of Twenty20 cricket in the Olympics from 2020.

This gives me a pause to wonder how we ignored the aptness of the Twenty20 format. If there is one format of the game that appears to suit the Olympics to a T, it is undoubtedly Twenty20.

Are there any naysayers?

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Does Harbhajan merit a place in the Indian Cricket team?

There is no denying that Harbhajan Singh was the chief architect of the Indian triumph at Galle even though it was Sehwag who posted the runs. Without his 10-wicket haul, not all the runs in the world would have helped India. For that reason, it is unsurprising to see him feted.

Notwithstanding his stellar performance, a feeling persists that we are going overboard in our praise. Is he truly praiseworthy?

Mull over this:
His previous 10-wicket haul was again against the Sri Lankans in Ahmedabad in the year 2005.
In essence, he has been a non-performer for the last three years and yet we extol him for a once in three-year feat. Should our expectations be so low? Will we tolerate a batsman who has not scored a century in three years?
Ask your self, does he deserve to be in the squad?

Why Indian’s are unhappy with Rahul Dravid’s dismissal?

The Indian team’s unhappiness with Dravid’s dismissal in the second innings at Galle is well known. For the record, originally given not out, Mahela after a lengthy dialogue with Doctrove went for the referral and got the decision overturned.

Initially, it was assumed that Indians were unhappy with Mahela’s protracted conversation with the umpire. It was reasoned that the prolonged chat gave Mahela an advantage and a chance to plant a seed of doubt in the umpires mind.

However, the exact reason behind India’s dissatisfaction is now out. The Indian’s believe that Mahela’s long-drawn-out discussion was a premeditated attempt to buy time for his teammates, either in the dressing room or on the ground to look at the replays and decide whether a referral will be in their favor.

This explains why, a normally restrained Dravid, smote his bat on the ground.

A ’perfect Test match’ at Galle?

Can someone tell me whether the Galle Test qualifies as a perfect Test match for Sri Lanka?

What's more, let me take this opportunity to remind the Right Honorable Ranatunga the Chairman of SC that you had your day.

Take it away folks!

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