31/03/2009

ICL b Economic slowdown

Clean bowled ICL What the BCCI has been trying to do for the last two- years, i.e., wipe out ICL once for all, the economic slowdown accomplished in a matter of months.

Close on the heels of reports of New Zealand players being unpaid, follows the news that the Pakistan players have been unpaid too.

In fact Abdul Razzaq has confirmed that the ICL has released them from their contracts and would be getting their dues and no-objection certificates within the next few days.

It is also a fact that the PCB is leaving no stone unturned in its bid to get Pakistan's ICL recruits cleared for national duty but it added that a concrete development will only take place if the players come out with proof of their parting ways with the unofficial T20 league”.

Whether it is the security situation or the Indian governments anathema to anything Pakistani or even the economic slowdown, it appears that ICL is clean bowled. However, the question is will it play a second innings.

UPDATE:

Cricinfo is carrying ICL’s side of the story. According to ICL

“We came to know that some of our players from New Zealand and Pakistan would be considered for their national teams if they obtain a release from their contracts,” the ICL official told Cricinfo. “We are happy to oblige because having players from our league playing international cricket only adds to our value. We expect these players will play for us again when we restart our programme this year-end.”

Photo credit ElWanderer

 

Leggy Blonde Cricket Fans

I ran into this while I was doing serious research on the internet. (Looking for pictures of leggy blondes :))
One look convinced me that this website is dedicated to “all 5'11 blonde England fans who listen to Test Match Special”.cartoonjohn
I recommend this website highly not only for the leggy blondes but also for the fetching cricketing gear they wear.leggyblondecricketfans

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Why censure Pietersen?

missing, everything but the girlImage by [auro] via Flickr
KP’s attempt to take a 48-hour break during the West Indies series has invited all round censure with the likes of Nasser Hussain asking him to wise-up.

However if you look at the list of English cricketers who have taken breaks in the midst of series, one wonders what is behind this widespread condemnation.

Missing in action:

2001 — Graham Thorpe, the Surrey batsman abandoned a tour of India two weeks early in an attempt to save his marriage.

2004 — England captain Michael Vaughan left Headingley before the end of play against New Zealand to be at the birth of his daughter, Tallulah Grace.

2005 — Andrew Strauss took a break from England’s tour of Pakistan to be with his wife Ruth for the birth of their first child. 
Marcus Trescothick

2006 — Opener Marcus Trescothick (right) suffered a breakdown in the changing room during a tour match in India and returned home.

2006 — Trescothick was forced to leave Australia before the start of the Ashes series after a recurrence of his stress-related illness.

2009 — Wicketkeeper Matt Prior missed the fourth Test in Barbados to spend time with his wife Emily and their new-born son.

One wonders whether Pietersen’s South African origin is behind this over reaction.

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Gautam Gambhir plays the longest innings ever by an Indian batsman.

Gautam Gambhir’s marathon batting in the second innings of the drawn second test between India and New Zealand is the longest test innings ever played by an Indian batsman.
Until now Rahul Dravid's marathon innings of 270 in the third Test against Pakistan, in Rawalpindi was the longest innings ever played by an Indian batsman.
In an totally unrelated note:
I am surprised to see G.R.Vishwanath and Vinod Kambli’s name on the list. It is my belief that Vishy’s batting style was one that was atypical ODI battings sans the ugly hoicks or as we used to call it agricultural shots.
Similarly, Vinod Kambli’s name in the list brings home the point that Kambli was a talent that went waste.

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30/03/2009

Day-night test cricket: Identify a ball first.

A CLEAVAGE FROM ANOTHER TIMEImage by fabiogis50 via Flickr
Once again, rumors about day-night Test cricket are swirling around. However, this time around it claims that the first ever day-night test cricket will be played at Lord’s when England takes on Bangladesh.

Though there is talk about colored clothing and lights, there is very little talk about the color of the ball. Avid readers of this blog will remember the trial with the pink ball and experiments with balls of other colors.

Without identifying, a suitable ball that will not only be visible but will also last 90 over’s, day-night cricket is a mere dream.

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India New Zealand 2nd Test at Napier ends in a draw

Escape from luxuryImage by Olivander via Flickr
Gautam Gambhir establishes himself as a Test batsman
Actually, I had feared the result would be worse. Looking at a huge follow - on, India managed to claw a creditable draw thanks to Gautam Gambhir and VVS Laxman.

The second Test ended in a draw as both teams agreed to call off play with India at 476/4 following-on in their second innings.

Gambhir proved he was a ‘Test’ batsman by not only scoring 137 runs but also in turn consuming 436 balls. In essence, his 11-hour knock ensured that the Black Caps had insufficient time to run through the Indian second innings.

However, one cannot ignore VVS Laxman’s contribution, who scored his 14 th Test century. As usual, his 101 was effortless and scored at such rapid pace that the New Zealander bowlers were on the back foot and in a dilemma, whether they should continue with their aggressive tactics.

Handsome contributions from Dravid, and Tendulkar helped to ease India’s cause.

Yuvraj Singh as usual dazzled, however still managed to look unconvincing as a Test batsman.

India leads the series 1-0 and the third and final Test match starts on 3rd April.

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29/03/2009

Are KKR's and New Zealand's fate interlinked?

Fate.. The DealerImage by DoUJa!! via Flickr
Well, according to numerologist numerologist Sanjay B Jumaani they are interlinked because both play wearing black.

“In fact, right at the beginning, we had warned that the colour black used for their team jersey wasn’t auspicious as it is also the hue of the same Saturn, # 8, and generally a colour of mourning in many communities. In fact, another team sporting the same colour that has never ever made it in the big league, is New Zealand. It has, on so many occasions, despite playing well, not managed to win a major tournament, leave alone the World Cup.”

The same report also talks about SRK dropping the word Kolkata from KKR.

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Graham Ford repeats himself

Former South Africa coach Graham Ford has withdrawn his application to become England’s new coach.

"Recent events may have changed my family’s thinking, as well as my own, about taking on a post like that,” he said.

Ford, who currently coaches English county side Kent, had pulled the same stunt in India. Remember, he was interviewed and his selection was announced with fanfare by the BCCI, only for Ford to reject the offer citing family and friends.

One concludes that Graham Ford either does not know his mind or he fears success.

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28/03/2009

England "shocking in their ineptitude".

ineptitudeImage by - boycat - via Flickr
To those of us who follow the English cricket team desultorily, the eight-wicket loss in the third One-day International at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados was unsurprising.

The whole world knows that the English cricket team is living on past glories and this performance is standard. However, the English press the ones who should be least surprised has surprised us all with their fulminations.

One concludes that the whole country is living in a delusional world.

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25/03/2009

2nd Test - India Vs. New Zealand

The Indian cricket team has an opportunity to create history by winning the Napier Test. This will ensure that they become the first Indian cricket team to win a series in New Zealand in 40 years.

 

Though their form is awesome, the Napier pitch if it plays true to its nature could well stymie them. A typical Napier pitch is full of runs and despite the Indian bowlers showing in the second innings of the first test, the New Zealand batsmen have the potential to bat India out of the match.

 

There are also rumors doing the rounds of a slate or a fungi attack on the pitch necessitating the shift to a different one. Though the grounds man has rubbished this talk, a feeling persists that this fungi talk could be an excuse to move the pitch to a one that seams.

 

The thinking being the New Zealanders can stifle the Indian batsmen on a seaming pitch. However, for the present, the state of the pitch remains a speculation.

 

Apart from breaking a 40-year jinx, the Indian team by winning the Napier test could well become No.2 in ICC ranking with 118 points.

 

So there is definitely much at stake on Thursday.

 

 

The teams (from):

 

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (Capt.), Tim McIntosh, Martin Guptill, Daniel Flynn, Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder, Brendon McCullum (wk), James Franklin, Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin, and Jamie How.

 

India: M.S. Dhoni (Capt. & wk), Virender Sehwag (vice-capt.), Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, V.V.S. Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Ishant Sharma, Munaf Patel, Amit Mishra, Lakshmipathy Balaji, M. Vijay, Dhawal Kulkarni and Dinesh Karthik.

 

Umpires: Billy Doctrove and Ian Gould.

 

Third umpire: Evan Watkin.

 

Match referee: Alan Hurst.

 

Hours of play (IST): 3.30 a.m. to 5.30 a.m., 6.10 a.m. to 8.10 a.m., and 8.30 a.m. to close.

 

 

24/03/2009

England too cool for IPL?

England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke is confident the Indian Premier League would be a major success if it were switched to be played in the United Kingdom. However, the tournament's chairman, Lalit Modi , expressed his concerns about rain affecting the six-week league.

Not only that, a recent news report says the UK police have expressed reservations over the conduct of IPL. They claim they have not been taken into confidence and categorically state that they would be unable to arrange foolproof security in three weeks.

If you take these statements as pointers, then the balance is tilted in favour of South Africa hosting the 2nd edition of IPL.

Bucknor sticks his oar in

Stick figure in perilImage by IndiepoprockJesse via Flickr

Steve Bucknor urged the ICC to take the right of video referrals away from players and hand them to umpires.

It appears that even though he has retired he is ensuring that no batsmen sleep well.



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Undisclosed moves

Makeup GirlImage by merfam via Flickr
Indian Premier League Commissioner Lalit Modi will meet Cricket South Africa CEO Gerald Majola at an undisclosed venue in Johannesburg this afternoon and will leave for London in the evening to discuss the possibility of hosting the second edition of the Twenty20 with the ECB.

However, one is unsure where he will meet the suits from ECB as it too is undisclosed.  
 
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Explaning Stanford via cricket

 Here is an excellent cartoon that explains cricket via the financial scandals.

 Hat Tip: The Inquiring Mind


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Buchanan causes tremors in Kolkata

Kolkata on the HooghlyImage by seaview99 via Flickr
No one knows for sure what Buchanan meant when he mentioned the names of Chris Gayle, Brandon McCullum, Brad Hodge and David Hussey while appreciating Sourav Ganguly’s leadership.

For all we know it could have been an off- the cuff remark. However, it has resulted in some vociferous condemnation from Cricket Association of Bengal’s official Sambaran Banerjee.

''He (Buchanan) was talking non-sense soon after hearing that IPL has been shifted from India,'' Banerjee, who is CAB's selection committee chairman, wrote in a published article this evening.

Even if we were to disregard Banerjee’s fulminations, the very fact that Ganguly was absent during KKR’s first news conference for the 2nd IPL has added fuel to the speculation.

Clearly, Buchanan has unwittingly lit a fuse, whether it will leave the Hooghly in flames we will have to wait and see.

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Symonds - Another bar incident

Andrew Symonds #2Image by penguincakes via Flickr
Is it curtains for Andrew Symonds? Has he blown his ‘last chance’?

It appears that Symonds has the death wish. Despite given one ‘last chance’ by Cricket Australia to redeem himself, he seems to have ruined his cricketing future by getting involved in another bar fracas.

mX reports that Symonds was shown the door at New Farm's Watt Bar after drinking with his girlfriend and Bulls teammates. It is alleged that Symonds accidentally broke a glass and was boisterously calling out to his friends resulting in him being asked to leave with his friends.

It is the latest incident in a long list of misdemeanors involving the mercurial Symonds and it is rightly feared that the latest incident might as well end his chances of playing for Australia again.

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Hampshire is ready and willing

Firework FinaleImage by Chris_J via Flickr
Hampshire has indicated that it is more than willing to stage the IPL matches.

Though there is a widespread belief that the county fixtures have to be sacrificed in order to stage IPL during April-May, Glen Delve, the Rose Bowl plc managing director thinks otherwise.

"We would be keen to stage some games. We’ve had a look at our early-season home fixture list, and there are large gaps which could be filled."

Obviously, ‘the county fixtures’ excuse trotted out by other counties is just that, an excuse.If Hampshire does get the opportunity to stage the DLF IPL, the county is in for a new kind of fireworks display.

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The ‘Ring of Fire’

Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium The Dubai Sports City cricket stadium has been designed to provide a world class venue, ideally suited to act as a neutral venue for world cricket and has the facilities to host Test Matches, One-Day internationals, and Twenty:20 tournaments. With indoor and outdoor pitch-side seating, physiotherapy and massage rooms, a raised lounge with a view of the pitch, locker rooms and dining areas, the Dubai Sports City cricket stadium will provide the world-class player with everything they need.

Dubai Sports City cricket stadium ‘Ring of Fire’ lights up night sky

23/03/2009

What the 45 day extravaganza will mean for England.

Simply put if ECB lands the opportunity to conduct IPL in England it will mean that in less than 3 weeks they have to organize and conduct 59 matches.

 

Conducting 59 matches in 45 days at such short notice will definitely stretch ECB's resources and ingenuity.

 

Nevertheless, if they pull it off, both ECB and British tourism stand to make $ 100 million in ground rent, hotel accommodation and tourist inflow.

 

 

 

IPL- Exit Rahul Dravid?

Vijay Mallya has made Kevin Pietersen the captain of Indian Premier League side Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Obviously, Mallya believes Pietersen's effervescent personality, explosive batting in sharp contrast to Dravid's dour batting and insipid personality will make the Royal Challengers more appealing to cricket fans and investors.
However, the naming of the South African Jacques Kallis as the captain for the second half of the tournament (Pietersen will be available only for the first three weeks of the IPL) that has cast the axing of Dravid in a different light.
Considering that Kallis had such a poor tournament last year and there were rumours that Royal Challengers were keen to trade him during the transfer window this change in his fortune is dramatic.
Kallis rise means that Dravid will spend the rest of his contract period warming the bench and away from the public eye.

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IPL - Bring on the blondes.


Excluding a last minute reprieve, the 2nd edition of IPL appears all set to be played abroad.

I for one welcome this shift. For one, the firangs can no more moan about the facilities and the security situation in India. Secondly, this shift means I am sure to get a month’s diet of quality cricket. Thirdly, cricket abroad preferably South Africa comes with the added pleasure of watching blondes thirsting for sunshine.

Just for that reason, I will be watching IPL as passionately as I did last year.

Image by omaxwing

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Some uncomfortable questions

Kamran Abbasi asks some uncomfortable questions.

..the IPL could consider reinstating Pakistan's cricketers if the tournament is outside India. Is that too much too ask? Aren't all nations victims of terrorism? Why should Pakistan's players be penalised and prevented from participating in a purportedly global tournament? Don't Pakistan's cricketers require support from the international cricket community to help competitive international cricket to survive in Pakistan?

Even though there is value to what he says, I believe the matter is out of the IPL administrators hands. Firstly, with elections on the political parties may make it a big issue and ensure that the IPL is forever blighted. Secondly, there is still a majority of Indians who believe that isolation is one way to bring Pakistan to heel.


The political climate and the public sentiment is such that it maybe a long time before we will see the Pakistani cricketers playing against or with Indian cricketers.



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21/03/2009

IPL –Maharashtra holds out.

CNN-IBN has gone to town displaying copies of the letters IPL had received from various state governments. Curiously, Maharashtra, Sharad Pawar’s home state appears to be holding out and proving to be dampener.

If IPL fails to get the green signal from Maharashtra it would impact the scheduling as the IPL organisers have allotted as many as 18 venues for matches across the state, including 14 in and around Mumbai.

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Duckworth-Lewis strikes again

England won their first International since August, when Dyson the West Indies team coach, made a miscalculation.
Instead of batting on or at least making sure they were ahead in the run-rate, West Indies promptly took the chance to go off the field when rain and bad light hampered play.
Unfortunately, while trying to play the percentages, their coach Dyson miscalculated and left the West Indies team one run short of the Duckworth-Lewis target thus handing over an unexpected victory to the English.
One hope this does not set -off rumors that Dyson was favoring his future employers. :)



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20/03/2009

England’s brazen act.

There are rumours that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is in discussion with the West Indies cricket team coach John Dyson and has offered him a deal significantly better than he currently enjoys with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

However one writer in the Jamaica Gleaner sees this act as not only a renewed attack on WI cricket, but also sees this type of predatory behavior as bad manners and as unethical business practice.

Quite strong words that and though I would not go so far as to condemn ECB’s act as unethical business practice, I would certainly consider it as brazen and quite tactless.

How do you look at ECB’s act of engaging John Dyson in discussion particularly when they are currently playing against the team coached by him?

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19/03/2009

30% Pay Hike for Bangladesh Cricketers

Bangladesh Cricket WallpaperImage by Bengali Bum via Flickr
It has been observed that the entertainment industry thrives during a recession and cricket is proving no exception.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board's board of directors has increased the salary of the national players and local staff in the team management by 30%.

Now it is up to the Bangladeshi cricketers to remember that in a country where poverty is prevalent, they are privileged and only by excelling in cricket, they can bring joy to their brethren.



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17/03/2009

IPL stuck in a mire

The 2nd edition of IPL appears to be stillborn. Granted, the terrorist attacks and the announcement of the Lok Sabha polls were unexpected. Nonetheless, Lalit Modi is responsible for miring the IPL into needless controversies.

Take the current imbroglio about the schedule. Instead of trying to pressurize the Home Ministry by announcing the dates, it would have been better if IPL had discussed with them beforehand.

The same browbeating technique Modi used against Sony has made their official broadcasters to take them to court.

Both these issues have caused uncertainty over the very conduct of the DLF Twenty20 tournament. Lalit Modi by letting his ego get the better of him is in danger of destroying all he has built. At the end of the day, the franchisee owners are going to take the brunt of his impulsive actions.

An ordinary cricket fan observing these controversies is justified if he wonders whether the second edition of IPL will ever take place and if it does, will it broadcasted.


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16/03/2009

Strauss in strife

Sunday's six-wicket defeat in the Twenty20 match at the Queen's Park Oval has proved that England is struggling in all forms of the game.

 

Their clueless batting and purposeless performance is certain to place a big question mark against Strauss's captaincy.

 

Can Strauss discover the magic potion before the start of the five match one-day series in Georgetown on Friday?

 

Scoreboard Twenty20 International between West Indies and England at Queen's Park

Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad on Sunday.

 

14/03/2009

India comes apart

India lost the final ODI thus surrendering the momentum to New Zealand.
The loss was expected as the Indian team thus far had the benefit of flat wickets. However, the Auckland wicket had lateral movement and it was enough for the New Zealand trundlers to pick the Indian batting apart.
Those who watched the Twenty20 series that preceded the ODI's were surprised that despite winning the series the New Zealander's erred by preparing flat wickets for the ODI's and the Indians took full advantage.
Now that the familiar Indian weakness has raised its head the New Zealander's should prepared seaming wickets. This will not only reveal the true strength of the Indian batting but it will also help subside the Indian egos.

India sends Australia packing.

India Vs Australia match result - ICC Women’s World Cup News

India
pulled off a stunning 16-run victory over Australia to keep its dream of a first ICC Women’s World Cup title alive.

However, this defeat leaves the Australian’s on the brink of elimination. If they are to make it to the finals, the Australians will not only have to win its next two Super Six matches, but it also needs to rely on other teams performances.

Just like the male counterparts, the Indian women’s team appears to have taken a special liking to the Australian team.


ICC Women's World Cup 2009, Super Six - Match 14 – India vs. Australia scorecard.


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Ponting the Economist

Sometimes success goes to the head. Drunk on his teams good showing in South Africa, Ponting  draws comparison with the wee bit of trouble the Australian team had to undergo with the global recession. 
Obviously Ponting is no Amartya Sen, yet he points out how Australia, nay the world can heed how his team turned its fortune around and apply the same to combat recession.

I kept repeating that we knew we were a team in transition, that we had a plan and that while little things might go wrong in the short term, I knew if we did not do anything silly, we would be back on track very soon.

These are the same principles I reckon business leaders in Australia should be staying true to in these troubled economic times: keep working on your plan, believe in the people around you and, most of all, don't do anything silly when it comes to your leadership activities and beliefs.


Cricket News Online Live.com on Ponting the Economist

13/03/2009

Viru comes into his own

Harsha Bhogle analyses Virender Sehwag’s savage form:

I also suspect he is being given the space that every performer needs. Inherently, performers need to be happy souls; a trapeze artist worrying about his job will probably find the safety net. With Gambhir, Yuvraj and Raina batting well, Dhoni solid and reliable and Tendulkar still evergreen, Sehwag probably has the licence to play his brand of fearless cricket. And he seems to be carrying this freedom with a touch of gravity because it can be a thin line between bravery and recklessness. For Sehwag to find out how far his ability can take him, he must have the freedom to play in his style and this team, through its composition and attitude, is giving him this freedom.

This brings us back to Tendulkar’s comment that this is the best ODI batting side he has ever played with.

If one leaves Bhogle’s analysis uncontested, it appears that the great man could be right. However, Indian team’s recent successes have been on the back of a Sehwag innings, so much so one wonders whether India has fallen back to those days of crashing and burning with the fall of Tendulkar’s wicket.

The difference is that today the Indian innings gains its momentum around a Sehwag start and fails to get traction if he fails.

Warm-up games are inessential - Kirsten

Just when I started appreciating Gary Kirsten’s unobtrusive coaching methods, he ruins it by saying that Warm-up games are inessential .

However, the saving grace is that he admits that the Twenty20 series has enabled them to fine tune their preparations for the New Zealand tour.

His rather off hand comment goes to show that not only is the public memory short a coach’s memory is also short. Kirsten seems to have forgotten how the Indian team struggled in the earlier test series against Sri Lanka without the warm up games.

BCCI exerts subtle pressure

BCCI exerts subtle pressure:

Indian cricket bosses are again throwing their weight around over the touchy subject of the rebel Indian cricket league.

They're trying to have former Black Cap and ICL player Craig McMillan banned from the commentary box.

The pressure is on New Zealand cricket to send Macca back to the Pavillion.

BTW, you can watch my man Niranjan Shah exert ‘subtle’ pressure here.

12/03/2009

Modesty - thy name is Kirsten

Among other things I have wondered what makes Kirsten successful and also different from his predecessor Greg Chappell.

The difference as John Wright correctly points out is the fact that Kirsten “understands the importance and the privilege of coaching India"

When you contrast this with the high and mighty Guru Greg who strutted around and intimidated most of us into concluding that we, i.e., India was privileged to have him as coach, the reason for Kirsten’s success is clear.

Modesty, thy name is Kirsten.

England trots out excuses

Some things never change particularly with the English cricket team. They start a new series with hope and conclude it in disarray.

However, they never fail to trot out jaded excuses. Along with their inconsistent performances they bring up the Ashes series and any other distractions they can think off. The only new one they have added to their lament is the IPL.

Possibly they were guilty at the start of the series of having half an eye on the Ashes, and other distractions, rather than their opponents here

England displays do not justify players' wages - Times Online

India seals ODI series in Style

Sehwag and Gambhir confirmed what we all know, that they are as devastating as the Desmond Haynes-Gordon Greenidge ODI opening partnerships.

11/03/2009

Well, that is that.

Australia clinched a series win over South Africa after completing a crushing 175-run victory in the second Test on Tuesday. 

Needless to add this means they remain at the top of the world rankings.

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10/03/2009

IPL – Modi persists in giving confusing signals

In a press conference, IPL chief Lalit Modi has made it clear that the IPL is on and said that the IPL schedule is being fine-tuned every minute. As far as player security is concerned during the tournament, Modi said IPL will be responsible for security of Indian and foreign players till the end of the tournament. IPl will be coordinating with state governments for security and 90 per cent of states have approved IPL's new schedule.
Wonder what Modi means by saying that IPL is responsible for player security when in the same breath he adds that IPL is still coordinating with the state governments for security. 

Either IPL is totally in charge or the state governments are in charge and these types of statements only serves to create uncertainty over the conduct of IPL. 

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09/03/2009

Panesar – a demented performing seal

The most entertaining description about Panesar.

Panesar was unable to control his emotions after Tiffin turned down a string of appeals and his captain Andrew Strauss dropped a catch off his bowling. He was going bananas at times and waving and leaping around like a demented performing seal.

Unsurprisingly he got away with an official warning. 


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Will the real South African team stand-up

The South African Cricket team’s lame performance against Australia has bewildered Mark Smit .

The question-bewildered cricket fans were asking at Kingsmead yesterday was: “What has happened to the side which beat Australia 2-1 in Australia only two months ago?”

Cricket lovers elsewhere are as confused and wondering which one – the one that played in Australia or the one currently playing in South Africa is the real one.

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Is Kevin Pietersen pulling out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 tournament?

Expectedly, last weeks militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Pakistan has made quiet a few of the English stars chary of participating in the IPL.

Among them, Flintoff who had earlier flip-flopped on his participation in the IPL despite a hip injury is the only player who has a genuine reason to opt out.

The others like Kevin Pietersen, Owais Shah,Ravi Bopara and Paul Collingwood are definitely looking for an excuse to escape from their contract.

As usual, Pietersen has taken the lead in voicing his concerns about security during IPL and this will surely set off a chorus.

However, one doubts whether these players can walk out unless something untoward happens. If the franchisees or IPL assures them their safety, then they will have to play irrespective of what their wives say.



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08/03/2009

Mitch doing his thing


Mitchel Johnson is making a habit of terrorizing South Africa and Graeme Smith in particular:

It was only two months - and two Tests - ago that Johnson fractured Smith's left hand with a snarling delivery that jagged back sharply off a gaping crack in the SCG pitch. But the left-armer required no special assistance from the wicket in breaking Smith's right hand, beating the batsman with a sharp, rising delivery that thundered into his glove and prompted immediate concern from the South African dressing room. Clearly, he is a bowler at the height of his powers, and quite possibly the best exponent of his craft on the international circuit.


To think that until now I believed that he will be known only for his girlfriends wardrobe (Photo alongside) malfunction.

Image from CourierMail:


07/03/2009

IPL II - A revised schedule?

Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner, Indian Premier League (IPL), doused speculation regarding conducting IPL matches overseas by reaffirming that the IPL season II will be played during April-May in India.

He however said that the schedule will have to take into account the Lok Sabha elections and revised. This could mean some franchisees losing the opportunity to host all the 7 matches in their home city.

The tinkering has meant that Mumbai replaces Jaipur as the inaugural venue. For the record, Bangalore the home city of the Bangalore Royal Challengers hosted the inauguration last year, promptly lost the match and from then on never recovered.

Interestingly Modi’s detractors in the Rajasthan Cricket Association allege that having lost in the organizational elections, the Lok Sabha polls provided him the excuse to deprive Jaipur city the honour of hosting the IPL inaugural event.

05/03/2009

PCB has made a mess of Pakistan Cricket

The news channels in India are showing CCTV clips of the terrorists involved in the attack on Sri Lankan cricketers making a leisurely get away.

If that were not shocking enough, the PCB appears to have completely ignored the security requirements of the officials.

Davis, who was travelling in the same car as the match referee Chris Broad, said in Melbourne he felt "let down" by the officials in Pakistan. "We were certainly left with no security in our van when we were fired upon, security obviously went with the Sri Lankan bus when they managed to get away but we were left there and no one came back for us,'' Davis said.

"We were all down on the floor and weren't gonna put our head up for anything. Our bus was just left in the roundabout and despite them getting back to the stadium, no one came back for us."

If one adds Davis anger with what the match referee Chris Broad had to say, it is clear that PCB was blasé about the security. Having worked hard to break Pakistan’s seclusion, the PCB appears to have compounded it further by their lackadaisical attitude to security.

Sadly, due to their cavalier attitude Pakistan cricket will suffer.

04/03/2009

Sri Lankan Team has a providential escape.

The Sri Lankan team is lucky to escape with only a few players suffering minor injuries. However, a look at the timeline of events it is clear that this was a horror waiting to happen.

Timeline of cricket safety concerns in Pakistan

May 2002: New Zealand aborts a tour to Pakistan after a bomb explodes outside the team's hotel in the southern city of Karachi, killing at least 11 French engineers.

August 2002: Australia cancels a tour to Pakistan over security concerns in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The series was shifted to in the United Arab Emirates.

September 2003: A bomb blast in Karachi forces the South African team to postpone its tour by a week.

October 2005: England refuses to play a test match in Karachi due to security concerns but agrees to play a one-day international match in the city.

October 2007: South Africa refuses to play a one-day international at Karachi after an assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. The match is shifted to Multan, in central Punjab province.

March 2008: Australia again refuses to tour Pakistan over safety concerns.

September 2008: The International Cricket Council postpones the biennial limited-over's Champions Trophy tournament, scheduled to be held in Pakistan, because most of the eight competing teams had reservations about security.

February 2009: Pakistan hosts Sri Lanka in first test series held in the country in 14 months. The first test ends in a draw.

March 2009: Gunmen with rifles, grenades and rocket launchers attack Sri Lanka's team on its way to play the third day of the second test. Seven players, an umpire and an assistant coach are wounded, and six policemen and a driver are killed.

2011: Pakistan is due to co-host the 2011 World Cup with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The ICC has said it will urgently review those plans now.

NZ HERALD STAFF, AGENCIES

03/03/2009

India starts ODI series on a winning note.

After the Twenty-20 series fiasco, the Indian cricket team redeemed itself somewhat, with the Duckworth –Lewis method coming to their rescue.

Half-centuries from Dhoni, Sehwag and Raina and a spurt of three wickets in four balls by Harbhajan Singh, helped India to a 53-run win on the Duckworth-Lewis method in their rain-shortened opening one-day international against New Zealand.

Actually rain put paid to New Zealand’s hopes of continuing their winning ways when they were forced to chase a stiff target of 216 from 28 over’s after play was halted a second time in the match. The Kiwis floundered to162 for 9.

01/03/2009

Sarwan on a song

It appears that Sarwan has taken over the dogged, determined style of batting Chanderpaul is known for.

In four innings so far, Sarwan has scored three centuries and a 94, and when he resumes at 184 not out on Sunday, he stands a great chance of turning his third ton of the series into the second double-century of his career.
Let us hope for the sake of West Indies cricket, his purple patch extends for a couple of years.

Cricket News Online Live.com

‘Crekette’ is not English

This should shut up the English.

Paul Campbell, of the department of English and theatre at the Australian National University, in Canberra, uncovered a reference to the sport in a 1533 poem, attributed to John Skelton, a popular poet and playwright of the day, in which he links it to immigrants from Flanders, in modern day Belgium, France and Holland.

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Ravindra Jadeja - Is he a complete package?

I admit to being surprised by Ravindra Jadeja's performance. Typical of the present generation of cricketers he appears mentally prepared and at ease in international cricket.

In some ways Ravindra Jadeja was fortunate to get a game but the manner in which he used it shows just how streetsmart a cricketer he is. His left-arm spin was measured and restrictive, and when he had the bat in hand he surprised the Kiwis by clearing the ropes with ease. Add his electric fielding to the mix and you have something close to the complete package for limited overs cricket. 

However, I hesitate to call him the complete package as he has a long way to go.

What do you think is he a complete package?

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