In the Name of Cricket

10/07/2009

Is Buchanan eligible?

Buchanan’s has done what any self-respecting coach who needs to sell a book will do, i.e., collect some shit in a socks and twirl it around his head and letting go. The principle being that some shit will hit the ceiling and provide sufficient ‘smell’ for his book sales to gain traction.

Well, his first target, Sachin has failed to rise to the challenge. His next Sunil Gavaskar is too busy celebrating his 60 th birthday to worry about the slurs. Well, his third target, Yuvraj, is unconcerned, as everyone including Yuvraj knows that Bcuhanan has spoken the truth about him.

His only hope now rests with Harbhajan Singh. The risible Bhajji has taken up the challenge and declared that Buchanan’s comment had hurt him.

Bhajji as his wont has also questioned Buchanan’s eligibility. Now do not ask what he is questioning about, it could be his eligibility to coach or even Buchanan’s ‘Teri Ma Ki’s’.

As for Mr Buchanan, having raised the awareness’ around his book he promptly denied allegations he had criticised three current Indian players and Sunil Gavaskar in his newly-released book, The Future of Cricket: The Rise of Twenty20.

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09/07/2009

Profundity thy name is Pietersen

Pietersen explaining his yesterday’s brain fade away:

"When you get out you are out," he said. "There is nothing you can do about it.

Right my dear Pietersen, undoubtedly when you are out you are out and there is no two ways about it. Needless to add, when it comes to profundity, you almost match my friend 'proper' Niranjan Shah.

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Now a ‘Hawk-eye (d)’ Guardian

Until now, the television broadcasters have always led the way in innovations. During a major cricket series, they inevitably introduce a new technology that enhances viewing experience. However, this Ashes series, it is the turn of an online publisher, The Guardian, to stun us by introducing Hawk-Eye analysis along with their ball-by-ball commentary.

According to them, “throughout the Ashes series you will not only be able to follow the action through our unrivalled over-by-over commentary, live galleries, session-by-session reports and live scoreboards, you will also be able to use our live and interactive Hawk-Eye analysis system”.

Probably this is the first time a major online publisher like The Guardian is introducing Hawk-Eye and letting their users set their own preferences.

To the reader: Did you check out Guardian’s new Hawk-Eye analysis tool and if so did you like it?

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Wart! Shoaib Akthar declares himself fit.

It is Déjà Vu time.

Shoaib Akthar claims he will make yet another comeback in the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka.

As usual he has declared he is fit (and cured of the skin infection as Cricinfo delicately describes it) and raring to help Pakistan cricket.

As usual, my question is whether Pakistan cricket needs him and if so will the other players accept him?

Wasim Bari, the interim chief-selector of the PCB, statement to AFP, amplifies my doubts. "I will tour Sri Lanka to consult captain Younis Khan and Coach Intikhab Alam who will give their feedback on the players. Akhtar's return will be based on his fitness, which we will assess, provided he is wanted by the team management."

To the reader: Do you believe Pakistan Cricket needs Shoaib Akthar?

08/07/2009

Ganguly – Will he or won’t he?

Image by Richard Parmiter via Flickr

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly has set off speculation about his willingness to become a cricket administrator by saying:

"I'm convinced that I can play a positive role," India's most successful test captain told Times of India. "Having played the game at the highest level and being part of the system, I know what it takes to make a difference."

This is an open hint for the anti- Dalmiya faction in the CAB to do their best to entice him into opposing Dalmiya. Who knows from there it is but a small step to becoming the head honcho of the BCCI.

The question is will Ganguly take that small step?

07/07/2009

Rangana Herath brings Pakistan down to the earth

Pakistan’s euphoria on winning the World ICC Twenty20 Cup unexpectedly has been pricked by this astonishing defeat at the Galle International Stadium today.

Rangana Herath, who made his Test match debut at Galle, Sri Lanka against the Australian cricket team in 1999, and his One Day International debut against the Zimbabwean cricket team at Harare Sports Ground in 2004, played in the current Test because of Murali’s injury, scuttled Pakistan dream run by earning a dramatic 50 run victory for Sri Lanka.

Herath, who along with Thilan Tushara and Ajantha Mendis, who nowadays appears to befuddle batsmen only during high-pressure situations, bamboozled Pakistan. Pakistan who were chasing only 168, were coasting along at 71/2, when they were roughly woken up only to be all-out for 117.

This defeat signals the end of Pakistan’s dream run and returns them to the mundane world.

Photo Credit: Sri Lanka Cricket

Why Dravid?

I am surprised at the inclusion of Dravid in the probable’s list for the Champions Trophy and I am sure Dravid himself would have been taken aback.

When ICC itself is thinking of rejuvenating the The Champions Trophy, it is undoubtedly funny that the Indian selectors steered by the garrulous Srikanth have selected a player who last played an ODI during 2007 against Australia at Nagpur.

The only seemingly logical argument for his inclusion is that the ODI cricket tournament is to be played in South Africa and that too in Johannesburg and Pretoria, two grounds where Dravid had a measure of success during the IPL 2009.

If the selectors are considering Dravid for his technique, then it speaks poorly of the current crop of players. However, that argument fails if you consider that Raina and Rohit too had a superlative IPL 2009 especially at the Wanderers and at the Centurion.

In essence, I believe this retrograde step is unwarranted and more in line with giving the veteran of 333 ODI’s an opportunity to pad up his income. I say this with outmost conviction, Dravid is not going to play and hence another youngster in his place would have gained the much-needed exposure to the international cricket atmosphere.

Probables:

M S Dhoni

Virender Sehwag

Gautam Gambhir

Yuvraj Singh

Rohit Sharma

Sachin Tendulkar

Rahul Dravid

Suresh Raina

Yusuf Pathan

Abhishek Nayar

Ishant Sharma

Zaheer Khan

R P Singh

Praveen Kumar

Harbhajan Singh

Pragyan Ojha

Ravindra Jadeja

Dinesh Karthik

Munaf Patel

R Ashwin

M Vijay

Amit Mishra

Ajinkya Rahane

Dhawal Kulkarni

S Badrinath

Ashish Nehra

Virat Kohli

Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh

Wridhiman Saha

Pankaj Singh.

06/07/2009

Ashes 2009: Lee out of the 1st Test

ST. GEORGES, GRENADA - JUNE 29: Brett Lee of ...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The BBC reports that the Australian spearhead Brett Lee has suffered a rib injury and is likely to miss the 1st Ashes Test to start at Cardiff this Wednesday.

If he remains injured, then Australia has the unenviable task of not only recalibrating their plans but also finding a suitable replacement.

2009 Sky Ashes Promo

Hat Tip: Ashes Blog- Ashes HQ

Final ODI abandoned due to rain

West Indies vs. India, 4th ODI Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St. Lucia, July 5, 2009

India takes Digicel Series 2-1 after the 4th ODI was abandoned due to rain. Though, the match had a delayed start another deluge in the middle of the 7^th over halted play. As the outfield held too much water and more rain was expected, umpires Nigel Long and Clyde Duncan called off play at 1.30 p.m. local time.

This is India's 5^th straight overseas ODI series triumph and its 2nd ODI series win in the West Indies.

05/07/2009

4 th Annual The Diversity Cup T20 cricket tournament 2009

It is interesting to note that a Twenty20 tournament is being played in the USA from the year 2006 onwards.

The Diversity Cup Cricket Tournament, an annual event that started in 2006, has teams based on nationalities. Four teams, Canada Maple Leafs, India Blues, Pakistan Greens and USA Stars participated in the inaugural year. In 2007, 6 teams participated as Sri Lanka Lions & West Indies Masters joined the other 4 teams.

The teams have a mixture of International, National, First Class and League players from all over USA and even overseas. Mohammad Azharuddin, former captain of India played for India Blues & Rizwan Uz Zaman, former test cricketer from Pakistan played for Pakistan Greens in 2006.

Canada Maple Leafs won the cup in 2006 and the Sri Lanka Lions won the cup in 2007. The Pakistan Greens won the 2008 edition and Javed Miandad fittingly handed over the cup to the winning Pakistan Greens team.

The 2009 edition of the Diversity Cup T20 cricket tournament is set to start in Detroit on July 3rd, 4th and 5th.

Diversity Cup 2009 Schedule:

Group A:

Match # 1: July 4 Saturday 10:00 am at Bloomer Park, Rochester Hills, MI
USA Stars Vs West Indies Masters

Match # 2: July 4 Saturday 3:00 pm at Bloomer Park, Rochester Hills, MI
India Blues Vs USA Stars

Match # 3: July 5 Sunday 10:00 am at Lyon Oaks County Park, Wixom, MI
India Blues Vs West Indies Masters

Group B:

Match # 4: July 4 Saturday 10:00 am at Lyon Oaks County Park, Wixom, MI
Canada Maple Leafs Vs Sri Lanka Lions

Match # 5: July 4 Saturday 3:00 pm at Lyon Oaks County Park, Wixom, MI
Canada Maple Leafs Vs Pakistan Greens

Match # 6: July 5 Sunday 10:30 am at Bloomer Park, Rochester Hills, MI
Pakistan Greens Vs Sri Lanka Lions

Match # 7: FINAL July 5 Sunday 3:30 pm at Bloomer Park, Rochetser Hills, MI
Winner of Group “A” Vs Winner of Group “B”

Awards Ceremony: 7:00 pm to 7:30 pm at Bloomer Park, Rochester Hills, MI

04/07/2009

Dhoni plays a winning hand

India appeared to have considered the D/L method, when they chose to field on winning the toss.

As expected, rains delayed not only the start, but interrupted the match often. In the end West Indies played 27 over’s and India played 22 overs.

The West Indies did well by posting 186 in 27 over’s. Ishanth was wayward and both Harbhajan and R.P Singh proved expensive.It is time the Indian think tank decided how best to rest and rejuvenate Ishanth. The less said off Harbhajan's bowling the better.

Fortunately, India’s opening pair of Gambhir and Karthick came good. Their 84 runs partnership in 13 overs was effervescent enough to make the task before the other batsmen manageable.

Dhoni coming in ahead of both the out of form Rohit and the inform Yuvraj was instrumental in keeping the task in sight even though a rain interruption in the 13th over marred the calculations.

In the end, it all boiled down to the last over, where 11 were needed. Dhoni proceeded to deposit the 2nd ball for a 6 and India ultimately won by 6 wickets and with a ball to spare.

Match Summary:

India defeated the West Indies by six wickets on the Duckworth/Lewis system with one ball remaining in the third one-day cricket international Friday at Beausejour Stadium.

India leads the 4 match series 2-1.

03/07/2009

Pakistans best Twenty20 team

Imran Yusuf picks his best Twenty20 team from Pakistan’s cricket history and tries to prolong

Pakistan

’s T20 euphoria.

1. Saeed Anwar 1997

2. Hanif Mohammad 1958 (wk)

3. Zaheer Abbas 1976

4. Javed Miandad 1986 (vc)

5. Inzamam-ul-Haq 2005

6. Shahid Afridi 2009

7. Imran Khan 1983 (c)

8. Wasim Akram 1996

9. Fazal Mahmood 1954

10. Saqlain Mushtaq 1999

11. Umar Gul 2009

Rest of15-man squad:

Waqar Younis 1994

Majid Khan 1977

Abdul Qadir 1987

Abdul Razzaq 2000

The number besides each name indicates the year in which that particular player played his best and hence selected on that basis.

My only grouse is the absence of Asif Iqbal.

India - West Indies 2009- Gambhir and the bowlers have to find form.

Image by graphicnoize via Flickr

3^rd Digicel ODI, Beausejour Ground, St Lucia

Having surrendered their lead by losing the 2^nd ODI to the West Indies, the Indians find themselves under pressure to win the 3^rd match. A loss here will make the 4^th and final ODI on Sunday more crucial.

Ideally, the Indians would want to win this match and ensure that they do not lose the series, but can they do it?

One fervently wish they do, because firstly, despite some resurgence the West Indies are inconsistent in their performance and secondly, the Indian batting is still powerful.

Obviously, when one speaks of Indian batting, Yuvraj looms large. His batting in the shorter formats has become the catalyst for Indian victories and a wicket that the opposition believes opens the floodgates. Thankfully, he is in form and after the failure in the 2^nd ODI he will be primed for a big innings.

Apart from him, Dinesh Kaarthick has carried his IPL form. The reason for India faltering in the ICC World Twenty20 and now in this series can be put down to his partner Gautam Gambhir's sudden loss of form. Frankly, his inability to impose himself as his wont in the opening overs has put pressure on young Rohit Sharma and others who follow.

In order to win this ODI, Gambhir has to find form and one believes the impetus of his batting will straighten out the other chinks in the Indian batting line up. However, to dictate terms, the Indian bowlers have to find their sting. With R.P Singh and Ashish Nehra, warily finding their way back to International cricket the onus is on Harbhajan Singh. Sadly, he is coasting on his past performances.

In short, if India is to beat West Indies then Gambhir and the Indian bowlers have to impose themselves.

01/07/2009

Why four day test?

Image via Wikipedia

ICC is considering four-day test matches among other innovations.

However, I ask, why four day tests if there are "better over-rates, better pitches that give a good balance between bat and ball".

Ashes 2009: Flintoff give us something to remember

Cover of Freddie: My World

As usual, everyone expects Andrew Flintoff to turn up and win The Ashes for England. Sitting here in India, one knows that is a tall order. It is intriguing how the English press and the English supporters hold such strong faith in a man who has not accomplished much since The Ashes 2005 series.

However, there is no denying the fact that whenever he played, Flintoff was inspiring and to use a word bandied often by the besotted English press, ‘talismanic’ to the English team’s fortunes.

Nevertheless, it is too much to expect him to be the same presence in 2009 as he was in 2005. So what can we expect off him?

Michael Henderson gives us a very good idea of what to reasonably expect.

This will be a good time to leave, 'Freddie', so don't disappoint your many admirers. They don't expect you to run through sides – you never did, as a record of two five-wicket hauls in 75 Tests reveals. But if you dismiss Ricky Ponting half a dozen times, before the Australian captain has got his eye in, England will be halfway towards their goal. Some runs would be nice, too, even if a significant innings is about as likely as the sight of a dolphin splashing about in Trafalgar Square.

Jeff Thomson fingers Ricky Ponting

Former Australian fast bowler Jeff Thomson has questioned Australian skipper's captaincy skills:

''I thought Ricky was crap when he was first captain in 2004 and nothing much has improved since then,'' said Thomson at the launch of the Ashes.

I am sure millions of Indians will agree with him.

30/06/2009

When should we appreciate a selector's work?

This situation in

Pakistan

made me think off when to appreciate a selector or a selection panel/committee.

Normally, I look at a selector's job as identifying, selecting and sometimes providing sufficient space for players to display their talent for their team/nation. If they do so, I deem the selector or the selector's panel to have done a good job.

Similarly, I do not blame them for the result, as it is not in their hands. They can only select the best and it is up to the players to prove their worth and in turn win matches.

Now here is the interesting conundrum, should we appreciate them for selecting a winning combination or selecting a winning, as in victorious, team?

29/06/2009

A lopsided Hall of Fame

The ICC revealed its list of cricketing greats chosen for the Hall of Fame.

The list contains 22 Englishmen, 11 Australians, 13 West Indians, three each from India, Pakistan and two South Africans and a lone New Zealander.

The ICC Hall of Fame follows the The Wisden route. The venerable almanac nominates an Englishman as the cricketer of the year 9 times out of 10 and the ICC has followed suit.

When many nations have legends waiting to be honored, it is beguiling how the English cricketers make approximately half of a 50-member list.

One cannot help but wonder at the impartiality of the ICC and speculate whether a majority of the ICC members yearn for an English ascendency in cricket in one form or the other.

28/06/2009

A non-sense series

Image by compscigrad via Flickr

India’s participation in the triangular ODI series to be held during September in Sri Lanka makes no sense.

During the series, the teams i.e., India, Sri Lanka and New Zealand play each other once and the top teams will meet in the finals.

In essence, India plays two games and the Sri Lankan cricket board is hoping that TV Broadcasters will cough up more for the broadcasting rights and the broadcasters in turn are hoping that companies will pay through their nose if India qualifies for the finals.

BCCI’s willingness to help their southern neighbour to make money is unsurprising, but considering that the Champions Trophy follows immediately in October, BCCI should have exercised better judgment and saved the Indian team from marring its chances by falling prey to injuries.

25/06/2009

Will rest cure Ishant Sharma

It is obvious that Ishant Sharma has faded after the New Zealand tour. What is not obvious is the reason behind his loss of form.

Some have suggested that Ishant is finding the Twenty20 format difficult to adapt and hence his dismal performances in the IPL 2009 and the World Twenty20.

However, others have suggested that Ishant needs a rest cure and the selection committee should have omitted him from this purposeless ODI series against the West Indies.

They reason that he (Ishant) has started to wane because of overwork and he needs rest to find his form.

What do you believe is the reason behind his lack of form?

21/06/2009

I back the Lankans

World Twenty20 Final

With India nowhere in the equation, it should be easy to choose a team to back. This time it is not so because the teams that confront each other are Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Historically, India was the first sub-continental team to win the ODI World Cup, followed by Pakistan and then Sri Lanka. Again, India was the first team to win the World Twenty30 Cup and if the pattern continues then the victor should be Pakistan. Nevertheless, is it the right reason to back Pakistan?

Pakistan during its successful ODI campaign stuttered in the beginning only to go on and win the Cup. This time (World Twenty20 2009), Pakistan looked likely to be the team to make an early exit. However, they regrouped and entered the finals. Does it mean I should choose them as the likely winner?

As they have been ostracized and suffered under the yoke of terrorism, they need the win to uplift those people emotionally. Therefore, this should prove sufficient motivation for the Pakistan cricket team to ensure a win. Does this emotional appeal mean that I should back Pakistan?

Coming to the Sri Lankan team all the reasons excepting the historical fact that they have won the world cup after Pakistan holds good. Sri Lanka and its people too have suffered because of terrorism and a win in the World Twenty20 finals will uplift the country. Moreover, during this tournament they have played tactically great cricket and consistently exhibit a unity of purpose. Hence, should I back Sri Lanka?

Clearly, both teams have the right reasons to win. Both are strong, emotionally charged and know each other’s game like the back of their hand. This could mean that both teams will try to play the percentages and wait for the other team to err. This could well make it an equal and boring battle.

Otherwise, an Afridi or a Jayasuriya could well play the hero and take the match out of the rivals grasp comprehensively. This in no way helps me to decide on the favourite.

As there appears no end to this dilemma, I make bold and choose, nay predict that Sri Lanka will win this World Twenty20 2009.

This is not a blind emotional choice, it is a well thought out decision as when I examine both teams chances, Sri Lanka is the team that has a wrong reason to loose.

Having conducted a blemish less campaign, according to the law of averages, the time is ripe for the Sri Lanka team to loose, a fact that has repeatedly proved itself (look at the South Africans in this tournament).

I however, believe that as the law of averages has proved right many a while, it is time that the law of averages should work against itself and hence assure a Sri Lankan win.

Which team are you backing?

17/06/2009

If they had used the VJD method, would West Indies have won?

T20 Cricket Cup: England vs. West Indies

Rain interrupted the cricket match between England and West Indies. As is the norm, the D/L method was used to revise the target.

Accordingly, West Indies had to chase a target off 80 from 9 over’s, which they comfortably reached.

Interestingly, if one were to use the VJD method (a rival method designed by V. Jaya Devan), the West Indies would have had to score 94 from the same 9 overs.

The stiffer target calculated using the VJD method makes me wonder, whether West Indies would have beat England and entered the semi-finals.

Why depend on a few?

A shocking admission by Dhoni:

"Sure very few were 100 per cent fit. Some had ankle, some shoulder injury. That is why they were not in their best in the field.

One understands the compulsion of persisting with a player who injured himself during the course of the tournament.

However, one fails to comprehend the logic of selecting players in a 15-man squad knowing well that they are not 100 % fit.

It is clear that either the selectors failed to do their job or the captain insisted on retaining his favorites.

If it is the later then it is a pity that the Indian cricket team has been reduced to an old boy’s network.

16/06/2009

Has CA gambled on Lee?

The Cardsharps, c. 1594, by Michelangelo Meris...

The 33-year-old Lee has done nothing remarkable during his comeback. In fact, Gayle mauled him in the World Twenty20 Cup.

Though Ponting was quick to defend his performances, there are others like former Australian bowler and Pakistan’s coach Geoff Lawson, who believes Lee, is undeserving to be in the Ashes squad.

Despite these doubts, CA has not only selected him for the Ashes, but also has reaffirmed their faith in him by putting him on a retainer worth $760,000 for 2009- 2010. If he secures a contract for 2010-2011 too then he will receive $ 1.22 million in match fees alone.

Now the question is whether Lee is worth the money and consequently, doubts arise whether CA has taken a gamble on this often injured and de-motivated bowler.

Leaving aside his worth, I believe CA has no choice but to rely on Lee. There is no bowler in the Australian team who has his aura and barring him, the Australian bowlers are inexperienced at the Test level.

In essence, Lee is the only Australian bowler who has a record of accomplishment in Tests and hence portrayed as a spearhead. Additionally, it too early to be dismissive about his form and ability. Taking these in to account CA has done the right thing on gambling on Brett Lee.

15/06/2009

English bowlers strangle India

Image via Wikipedia

India out of the ICC World Twenty20 Cup

India’s dream of retaining the Twenty20 World Cup came to naught against the disciplined English. The English bowlers taking advantage of the pace and the bounce in the wicket bowled to a plan and choked the Indian batsmen.

It is not that the Indian batsmen succumbed to the pressure; they fought until the last but one ball, however the disciplined English prevailed.

Earlier in the day, everything went according to India’s plan. Listening to Dhoni at the toss one got the impression that India wanted to chase and hence brought in Jadeja in order to strengthen the batting. Nevertheless, the exclusion of Irfan somehow did not jell with the professed idea.

The Indian bowlers performed creditably with Jadeja accounting for the dangerous Pietersen and Bopara. Then Harbhajan took over and managed to restrict England to 153. The odd jarring note was a couple of misfields by Yuvraj Singh. His poor fielding of the last ball cost India an additional 3 runs, which later turned out to be losing margin.

Nevertheless, it was not this lapse in the fielding that cost India the match; it was the inability of the Indian batsmen to dictate terms with the English bowlers that cost us the match.

Losing Rohit early, Gambhir and Jadeja were unable to get the impetus going. This is where one commends the English bowlers. They never let the batsmen free their arms, kept the ball buzzing around the ears and literally kept them on their toes.

Surprisingly, Gambhir, who normally tries to unsettle the bowlers by walking down the pitch, failed to do so. At the other end, Jadeja played too many dot balls and whenever he connected, he was unable to find the boundary.

In retrospect, this phase cost India the match. Both Gambhir and Jadeja were one-dimensional in the sense they tried to heave at the deliveries and in the process forgot to harry the bowlers and the fielders by taking the singles.

The fall of Gambhir and the advent of Yuvraj changed the game slightly. Yuvraj revived the hopes of the Indian fans with a six of the first ball, but he too failed to make an impression.

In the meanwhile, Dhoni came in at the fall of Jadeja’s wicket. Yusuf Pathan came in at the fall of Yuvraj’s wicket. Both Dhoni and Yusuf set about lowering the target in different ways. Yusuf whenever given the opportunity cleared the ropes. Dhoni scurried around and both brought the target to 18 of 3 balls.

Sadly, for India despite a huge one-handed six by Yusuf and a trademark heave by Dhoni India fell short.

14/06/2009

It is do or die for India

Image by rocketjim54 via Flickr

One thing stands in sharp relief, if India loses to England then there is no hope in hell. They are out of the tournament and ripe for a lambasting from the press and probably some knee jerk reaction from the BCCI. You can also count on couple of stones being thrown at Dhoni’s house plus effigies being burnt.

If they win, which is a real possibility as they play England and then lose to South Africa, there is still a chance as other factors like the run rate, etc., come into play. This happy state of affairs has come because of West Indies losing to South Africa.

However, for the record, their match against England is vital to their fortunes and to make it more secure they better beat South Africa.

So are you set to witness the India vs. England match at 10 p.m. IST.

Ashes at 2000 frames per second

Amazing slow motion footage from The Ashes series. Though all the ultra slow motion images are worth viewing a million times, the Vaughan off- drive off the front foot and the ball spinning in Shane Warne's hand are plain unforgettable.

13/06/2009

India Vs. West Indies – The fall out.

Image via Wikipedia

India slumped to a seven-wicket defeat against West Indies at the ICC World Twenty20.

The immediate ramification is that India will now have to win both its matches against England and South Africa in the Super8 to go further in the tournament.

Going by form, India can beat England, but beating South Africa is going to be a tall ask. From now, unless the unimaginable happens, India will be catching the next flight home after the match against South Africa.

Coming to the India – West Indies match, India failed to get a grip on the match. Though there were passages of play, particularly, when Yuvraj and Yusuf were batting when they were in control, largely they never appeared as if they were going to run away with the match.

India managed to shackle and get rid of Gayle early; however, they came against Bravo who sealed India’s fate with an unbeaten 66 off 49 balls. The unheralded Lendl Simmons also struck some lusty bowls to add to India’s misery.

This time India got their batting order right. Despite doing so, India marred its chances with the loss of the top 3 within 5 over’s. Adding to the loss of wickets, Dhoni’s inability to force the pace put paid to India’s hopes of posting a good total. It is apparent that Dhoni has lost his big hitting skills and has become a liability as a batsman.

Let us hope, India and Dhoni bounce back.

12/06/2009

World Twenty20: India Vs West Indies - A Preview

People Buying Train Tickets at the High Speedl...

Going by the pre – match talk, all eyes are on Chris Gayle. Undoubtedly, the temperamental West Indian can make mincemeat of our attack and set the course of the match in a hail of shots. However, concentrating too much on Gayle can also back fire, as Chanderpaul and Sarwan on their own are capable of taking away the matches.

Importantly, our bowlers are untested. The only worthwhile opponent they faced was Pakistan, who according to their captain were playing ‘fun cricket’. (The fact that he was trying to deflect criticism for losing to India is another matter altogether.) Therefore, despite encouraging shows by Ojha, Zaheer, Irfan and Ishanth the bowling is evolving.

Coming to the batting, Rohit has eased our worries on Sehwag’s absence. He has been both destructive without giving the impression of slogging. Gambhir has been more solid than flamboyant. He appears to have lost a bit of dash and at present is scoring a run a ball.

The other problem we have is Dhoni. His contribution as No.3 has been poor. Glaringly, he has deprived the in form Raina his due. Someone needs to din some sense into Dhoni and let Raina take charge.

The middle order has scarcely had any batting to do. Rohit’s sublime form has ensured that they never had to bat. If Rohit fails, there is a strong likely hood of them crumbling under the unaccustomed pressure. The Indians need to steel themselves against this eventuality.

Having said all this, Indians look the better side and if strength of the team was the only factor, they will run away with the match.

Match starts at 10 pm IST.

A good advertisement for cricket

Angelo Mathew’s spectacular quick thinking effort is a good advertisement for the game of cricket and deserves all the hyperbole employed to describe it.

This act is sure to draw not only new fans to cricket but will also f ire up many youngsters imagination.Surely, the impressionable ones who watched it would have gone to bed clutching their bats only to dream of pulling such heroics for their team.

Do you agree that even if the World Twenty20 degenerates from here on, his effort makes its conduct worthwhile.

11/06/2009

The truth behind the ‘Ashes’.

Image via Wikipedia

It is amazing how an event or the reason behind it is obscured by time.

The same I believe, holds true for the 'Ashes'.

All of us know how ‘The Ashes’ became a synonym for the Australia – England cricket series.

Guess what, it is untrue.

"The origin of the urn owes more to a campaign for legalising cremation than a satirical lament for English cricket"

The origin of the Ashes and the right to burn

10/06/2009

Balls - On the low-hanging ones

Somehow today's talk revolves around balls.

It was Ishant Sharma who started it all off. He was quoted as saying that in Twenty20 it is important to have 'slower balls'.

Which leaves us pondering whether he was quoting from the Kama Sutra.

However, another quote from England made me understand why events in English cricket are described in hyperbole. For example, recently Collingwood was saying that English cricketers have to play brave cricket. He was followed by KP who said the England team had no fear.

Well, the secret is now out. These gutsy talks can be traced back to their preference for "soft balls".

Find the evidence for their penchant below.

"Health and safety fears, the sale of playing fields, teachers unwilling to supervise and less competitive sport in schools have been blamed for the decline in the use of the hard ball."

A Fake IPL?

Hmm....... some genuine questions regarding the autheticity of the ICC World Twenty20 Cup.

09/06/2009

IPL has its revenge

Schensted and Titus claim that Y is a superior...

Image via Wikipedia

Did the Australian debacle have its genesis in IPL Series-2?

Much as one would like to point to cricketing reasons for their loss, it appears that IPL has taken its revenge on Ponting and his team for ignoring it.

Ponting not only chose to give the IPL Series 2 a miss but also urged his team members to focus on Ashes. In fact, a couple of his teammates Clarke and Johnson went further and made it a country vs. money issue.

Sadly, for all of them, they were deprived of much needed practice and going by the first round results, teams that had many players playing in the IPL, like India, South Africa, New Zealand and even England are through to the Group8.

This leaves us wondering whether the curse of IPL is on the Australians.

08/06/2009

What did Flintoff say?

By now, everyone is familiar with what is hailed as the most sporting moment of the Ashes.

I am referring to the 2005 Ashes test at Edgbaston when Flintoff consoled Brett Lee.

Well, if you were wondering what transpired between the two, just watch the video.

BTW, I would be grateful if someone could decipher Flintoff’s thick accent. I failed to understand a word he said.

Hat Tip: Line and Length

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