In the Name of Cricket

31/12/2009

Has Australian cricket turned the corner?

Peter Roebuck believes that “Australia's cricketers are picking up the pieces after losing to England, with Michael Hussey, Nathan Hauritz and Shane Watson showing the way and concludes “By the look of things these fellows have risen from the Ashes”.

Now one agrees with Roebuck that Australian cricket has made a fool of its doomsday prognosticators and made a smart around.

However, the question is have they regained the aura that made their opponents quake at the very thought of playing against them.

That is unlikely as teams like India and now West Indies have learnt that the Australian is unsure of an opponent who gives it back as good as it gets.

29/12/2009

Cricket- Cook dedicates century to Gooch

Alastair Cook whose 118 put England in the driver seat of the 2nd Test against South Africa at Kingsmead dedicated this century is for Graham Gooch.

According to Cook, his present success is entirely due to Gooch’s dedication and the knowledge he has imparted as a batting consultant to the England team.Graham Gooch has also worked on Cook's batting in Essex.

Cook reportedly told a news conference at the end of the days play that thanks to Graham Gooch, he has slightly different trigger movements, alignment and back lift and attributed his 10th century to these major changes.

27/12/2009

The Petulance of Stuart Broad

Stuart Broad in the 3rd ODI at the Rose Bowl, ...

Image via Wikipedia

Sunil Gavaskar throws light on why Stuart Broad has never been reported for his petulance.

The reason is simple. Stuart's father Chris is one of ICC's match referees and so the umpires are reluctant to make a complaint against the youngster. Remember the umpires and match referees are used to hanging out together in the evenings since they are in a foreign country and so forge a good relationship and obviously the umpires are not looking to spoil that by citing the young Broad for a violation of the code of conduct.

26/12/2009

The ‘loosener’ disappears.

Image by Gavatron via Flickr

There was a time when the first ball of a match or an innings was a ‘gentle loosener’.

A ball bowled so that the bowlers find their bearings. Typically, the bowler runs up bowls a ball at half the pace he normally bowls and the ball pitched wide off the off-stump.

What do the batsmen do? They let the ball pass them, left leg thrust forward, the bat held high either straight or freezed in the act of countering the ball. Yeah, the openers did one more thing, batting greats like Sunil Gavaskar, watched the ball go into the wicket- keeper’s gloves and from there to the slips and complete the relay back to the bowler.

The commentators took this act as a cue to wax eloquently on how the opening batsman was getting his eye in. As the ‘loosener’ was de riguer, the bowler escaped censure.

This changed with the advent of the maverick batsmen Krishnamachari Srikkanth. He put a stop to all these ‘loosener’ business by hitting it either for a four or for a six. His logic, the ball was a legitimate ball and why should he lose the opportunity to score.

Now if a bowler bowls a ‘loosener’, commentators like Ian Chappell start wondering why he did not limber up before the match and batsmen are chastised for letting it go.

How times have changed!

25/12/2009

Young Guns to the fore

If Sri Lanka harbored any illusions that they had the match (India v Sri Lanka, 4th ODI, Kolkata) on dismissing Sehwag and Tendulkar cheaply, Kohli and Gambhir smashed it to smithereens.

They made the chase (316) appear effortless with both scoring centuries almost simultaneously.

Though Gambhir has been in the form of his life ever since his comeback, this innings will surely make his opponents look at him as an impediment to their success and henceforth factor him into their plans.

Virat Kohli impressed everyone with the way he smashed Ajantha Mendis’s carom ball to the fence when India toured Sri Lanka. Though he had nothing much to do later as he was included into the team as a filler, he had kept his promise on display by stroking some good 50’s.

With this display, they have assured the Indian cricket fans that Indian cricket, as far as batting goes is in safe hands.

24/12/2009

Gayle Explains

The West End Whingers at the Swiss Cottage Swi...

Gayle explains why Shane Watson went over the top and ends up calling the Australian cricket team a pack of ‘whingers’:

“What happened was that I was at the non-striker’s end and he was just looking at me. I asked him ‘What’s your problem, man?’ and then I said, ‘When you come on [to bowl] I’m going to take a swing at you,” Gayle said.
“And then he got me out and came down screaming in my face. It wasn’t called for, to be honest with you. But he’s that sort of person. Whenever he gets hit for four he always gives batters talk, but when you give it back to them they can’t actually take it,” he added.

2009: Cricket loses its last vestige of innocence.

The terrorist attack on the bus carrying the Sri Lanka cricket team shattered the illusion that cricket is in a universe of its own.

How Richards writes on crickets loss of innocence:

Cricket had little innocence left to lose on March 3, 2009. Images of rural arcadia conceal the reality of long histories of corruption, commercialism and violence.
Yet that morning in Lahore, when terrorists attacked the bus carrying the Sri Lankan team to the Gaddafi Stadium for the third day of a test against Pakistan, still shattered an illusion — the belief that cricket’s popularity in South Asia protected it from terrorism.

The Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe

4th ODI Impressions, Kolkata, India v Sri Lanka 2009.

With India leading 2-1, Sri Lanka has to do the running. The absence of Dhoni and Yuvraj has given Sri Lanka an opening and it now depends on the Sri Lanka bowlers to pressure the Indian batting juggernaut.

Unfortunately, they have been unpenetrative through out the series. Ajantha Mendis mystery is missing; the medium pacers are cannon fodder and the only redeeming feature has been the ability of their batsmen to make a game of it.

This match could well be a repeat of Cuttack.

23/12/2009

Shane Bond takes the easy way out

Image by *TreMichLan* via Flickr

Shane Bond retires from Test cricket, will continue playing One Day and Twenty20 Internationals.

Bond, who suffered an abdominal muscle strain on his return to the New Zealand test side after a two-year absence, says medical assessment shows the injury needs more time than expected to heal and his body simply can't handle the workload of test cricket.

James Bond Ultimate Collector's Set

Though he makes all the right noise about the decision to retire, such a decision was expected. The fact that ICL is in a state of disarray and his return to International cricket has made him eligible for the financially lucrative IPL, retiring from Test cricket will ensure his longevity as Twenty20 specialist.

Irfan Pathan say’s he is ready

Image via Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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

22/12/2009

The Jonathan Trott rituals

CENTURION, SOUTH AFRICA - DECEMBER 20: Graeme ...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

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

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

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

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

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

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

An infrareddetector (You find infrared there w...

Image via Wikipedia

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

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

21/12/2009

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

Sri Lanka bat first

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

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

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

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

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

India chases 239

Updated at 6.00 AM

A facile victory for India.

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

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

Ranji Trophy brings no cheer.

Image via Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

20/12/2009

Will Dickie Bird’s reputation stand?

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - MARCH 22: Umpire St...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

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

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

What sets Dilshan apart?

Image by .craig via Flickr

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

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

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

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

Why night Tests remain a day dream

Floodlighhts at Trent Bridge Cricket Ground

Image via Wikipedia

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

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

19/12/2009

Dhoni banned for 2 ODI’s

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

18/12/2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Update 5.15 AM

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

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

Lalit Modi remains IPL Chairman

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

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

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

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

The other decisions taken by the IPL governing council were:

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

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

17/12/2009

2nd ODI Nagpur, India-Sri Lanka – 2009

Does India hold the edge?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Referrals :Sanity required

BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 30: Umpires...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16/12/2009

Sri Lanka falters in pursuit of India's 417

Image by alecea via Flickr

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

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

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

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

14/12/2009

India v Sri Lanka, 1st ODI, Rajkot

Article first published at 6.43 PM
Updated at 5.05 AM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Umpires: Shahvir Tarapore and Marais Erasmus.

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

Lalit Modi out of IPL?

Image via Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

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

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

13/12/2009

An India- South Africa shoot –out?

Image by Seattle Miles via Flickr

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

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

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

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

12/12/2009

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

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

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

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

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

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

TEAMS

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

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

Catch the match live on Neo Sports from 5.30 PM

7.00 PM Update

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

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

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

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

Indian's now chase 207 for a win.

Updated at 9.30 PM

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

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

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

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

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

10/12/2009

India - Pakistan bilateral series?

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

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

Umpire’s Garner Garner’s support.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 13: Former Wes...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The UDRS embattled umpires received unexpected support.

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

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

Virender Sehwag amongst the top 5.

Virender Sehwag batting at Adelaide Oval

Image via Wikipedia

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

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

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

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

09/12/2009

Ind vs SL, 1st T20I, Nagpur

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

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

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

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

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

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

Update 5:30 AM

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

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

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

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

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

Why not ask Ponting?

Image by Gary_T_W via Flickr

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

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

I agree.:)