tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30560558815942849322024-03-07T21:29:08.505-08:00The Cricket Blog-All About World CricketThe blog is dedicated to all cricket fans over the worldSanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.comBlogger311125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-29112619435886004212011-11-28T21:48:00.000-08:002011-12-25T22:07:41.820-08:00Mitchell Johnson for Zaheer Khan<span style="font-family: arial;">A week before, I had written a post regarding Zaheer Khan's inclusion for the four match test series against Australia starting next month hanging in a balance owing to injuries. And, now an Australian counterpart has seemed to have joined the party with </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/story/542267.html">Mitchell Johnson following suit</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> after the Australian pacer has decided to get a surgery on his foot. In the same post, I had cited various absences of key players during crucial stages of a serious tour, who make a difference between a win and a loss. Now, it looks that my prayers are answered when another key player has joined the list.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Mitchell Johnson, though has been a noted bowler in the Australia test squad, was found to dominate with the bat during the recently concluded two test series against South Africa where he scored an impressive 40 runs to see Australia not only win the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-australia-2011/engine/match/514030.html">Johannesburg test</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> by 2 wickets but also retain the trophy which they had regained on their last tour to South Africa three years back. Johnson scored those runs at a strike rate of 85.10 which speaks of his ability to step in at crucial situations. Without Johnson's knock, Australia could have never leveled the test series against the Proteas.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Johnson is one of those players in the current Australian squad who can keep up the hopes of Australian dominance live in days to come though after the retirement of Glenn McGrath - Shane Warne, the Australian team is on an all time low. Currently, Johnson has seemed to have hit a bad patch with him returning with a bowling average of 45.71 something which should have been a batsman's batting average. Whatsoever, players like Mitchell Johnson will surely make a comeback especially in crucial games like the Border - Gavaskar trophy. Johnson is a bowler with a class which is permanent.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Though form can be considered to be temporary, class of a player has been proved to be permanent which has seen many players making a comeback despite going through a bad patch several times in their career. With lack of good players (unlike what it was the case some four years down the lane for Australia) the form and fitness of Johnson should be taken seriously if at all Australian cricket has to flourish. Australia's hopes on key players like Ryan Harris, Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson still hangs in a balance and the reason for this can be none other than injury.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-56440903631044144672011-11-27T23:19:00.000-08:002011-12-25T21:44:51.804-08:00Is dropping Harbhajan Singh justified?<span style="font-family: arial;">Well </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-india-2011/content/story/542171.html">the news</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> we hear at the moment is that India's star off-spinner Harbhajan Singh is dropped from the Indian squad that would be facing the Aussies in the Border - Gavaskar trophy scheduled next month. The reason for the same is thought to be his lack of form in the four tests against England where he was instrumental in taking just two wickets from the two games he played before an abdominal-muscle injury got the better off him. Since then, Harbhajan Singh was not even considered for the tests against West Indies though the series was held at home and not away.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">With such an injury taking a toll on any player, nothing different can be expected by the selectors whatsoever. However, taking into consideration his form, dropping Harbhajan Singh should be a good decision to some extent. But, the other side of the coin suggests something different. Harbhajan Singh is the lone and the most successful spinner in the current India squad especially in tests. There are the likes of Pragyan Ojha and Ravindra Jadeja who have been successful but, without an experienced spinner top support from the other end, nothing special can be expected from the above mentioned spinners in this tour.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">And, off-late there is the inclusion of Ravichandran Ashwin who was awarded the man of the series in the recently concluded test series against West Indies at home. That definitely deserves a lot of recognition but, things cannot be expected to be the same this time as well. The series is not played at home unlike what it was against the West Indies. Moreover, Australia is a much better outfit compared to West Indies who are not placed just above Bangladesh in the ICC points table for test cricket. In such circumstances, burdening Ashwin with such responsibility can be crucial.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It is an undisputed fact that India have so far never won a test series against Australia on Australian soil in its 63 years of test cricket history and at the same time, India have beaten them on their home tour to Australia in the previous two occasions. India still hold the upper-hand in the Border - Gavaskar trophy with Australia having lost most of its matches on home soil and with Indian team being on an all time high in confidence though their memories of a 4-0 loss to England is still afresh. Lastly, the exclusion of Harbhajan Singh might prove costly to the spin wing.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-64241087095470514602011-11-21T22:23:00.000-08:002011-12-23T22:41:07.571-08:00Key players' fitness always an issue<span style="font-family: arial;">Well the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/541386.html">latest abuzz in the world of cricke</a><span style="font-family: arial;">t is that India's most experienced pace bowler - Zaheer Khan will have to prove his fitness in case he has to relish his dreams of touring Australia for the Border - Gavaskar trophy starting late next month. This is not the case only with Zaheer Khan and not the case only regarding India - Australia tests. The most important players be it in any department, are found to withdraw during the serious phase of a test series. I remember Sachin Tendulkar missing out for the Border - Gavaskar trophy in 2004-05 played at home.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This proved a trump card for the Aussies who tasted victory on Indian soil after 34 years. So was the case in the Ashes 2005-06 where Shane Warne was found missing from the game which England won by three wickets. And, Glenn McGrath missed out in the only two tests which England won in that series consisting of five games. South Africa always have a problem with Jacques Kallis regarding his fitness whenever an important tour would kick in. But, luckily during such phases, we see Amla doing the job for the Proteas. The Pakistani pacer Wasim Akram was found warming the benches during crucial stages owing to injury.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The problem regarding fitness has more often got to do with fast bowlers than batsmen or spin bowlers. The reason regarding the same may be due to the fact that fast bowlers have to sweat it out more at the nets compared to players from other departments. Fast bowlers move their arms more often than players from any other department in cricket. The players who make it to the top ten can be cited as Sreesanth, Glenn McGrath, Allan Donald, Zaheer Khan, Javagal Srinath, Waqar Younis, Chaminda Vass, Brett Lee, Shoaib Akthar and last but not the least Shane Bond. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Very few from other departments like Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Ricky Ponting make it to that list and that too seldom. Of course, in the last decade or so, Ponting has been on the top to miss a test match or a test series owing to injury. And, coming to spin bowlers, Anil Kumble tops the charts followed by Shane Warne, Muttiah Muralitharan and Harbhajan Singh (noted spin bowlers of the world). Added to injuries, the impact of injuries are also found to target fast bowlers more than any other players. An injury to a fast bowler can be career threatening which would not be the case regarding players from other departments.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-91174921199061808032011-07-05T07:18:00.000-07:002011-07-07T07:32:08.656-07:00Dravid: Toughest player to bowl<span style="font-family: arial;">Well the Indian test batsman-Rahul Dravid cites the recently concluded 2</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> test venue as the toughest one may be because he couldn't score more than 5 runs unlike the Jamica test where he was awarded the man of the match award for his fighting century. Well, if not for V V S Laxman, no other Indian batsman could really stand up to the occasion in the 2</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> test at Bridgetown. With that, it becomes another reason for anyone to term it as a tough pitch to bat on let alone Rahul Dravid. But still, West Indies has to be a tough pitch with its high rising bounce.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the reason why bowlers like Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall had their birth in the West Indies similar to some Muttiah Muralitharan coming from Sri Lanka and B S Chandrashekar hailing from India. The next generation bowlers from the West Indies like Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop made life tough for batsmen despite not receiving enough support from the batsmen. Even today, players like Merv Dillon, Vesbert Drakes and Dwayne Bravo have little problems in bowling a high bounce delivery. But, with the batting line up being completely being whitewashed, nothing much can be expected.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">After the retirement of the batting legend-Brian Lara, there is no one who can withstand the pressure despite the likes of Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderapaul having the presence. However, all these should not be the reason for </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-india-2011/content/story/521974.html">Dravid's remarks</a> Instead these are the pitches one of their kind when the bounce they offer can blow away anyone's helmet. <span style="font-family: arial;"> on the Caribbean soil or pitches.The words came from Rahul Dravid a bit late when the same should have made rounds a decade ago when Dravid made his appearance first. And, one has to wonder why no one else has said this but Dravid.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">However, if the player under consideration is given a close look at, he is one such player bowling to whom can only be a nightmare. Rahul Dravid never scores runs at a brisk pace like some Virender Sehwag or Yuvraj Singh. Neither does Dravid has the temperament that Sachin Tendulkar has who can get to big scores without compromising with the team's victory. Someone like Dravid can hardly get out which is the reason why he is referred to as "the wall of Indian cricket". It is tough to get Dravid out no matter how many wickets are down for team India. </span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-25653575008217686592011-05-20T06:39:00.000-07:002011-06-29T07:20:03.274-07:00West Indies on improving rankings<span style="font-family:arial;">Well, it is obvious for any team to gain advantage and in addition gain courage and excitement from that victory to put up a better performance in the days to come. This need not be the case for a team that gets defeated though there goes the saying that "better luck next time" or "losing is the stepping stone for success" for, a defeat takes away the courage most of the times. This is if you have a winning habit and losing really pisses you off. But, neither are the cases with the West Indies. Neither are the West Indies bothered about their losing streak nor about their rankings.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I remember the then West Indies early last year citing a 4-1 win against Australia in the Commonwealth Bank series 2010 at Australia. But, that series didn't even turn out to be 1-4 as far as the West Indies were considered. West Indies lost the series 4-0 to Australia with one match getting blown out due to bad weather. May be no one would have taken Chris Gayle's words so seriously but, a little bit of sense in talking becomes mandatory when things go public and considering one's caliber. Everyone knew the caliber of the West Indies which has only deteriorated since then.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Now that West Indies have won the first test against Pakistan rather unexpectedly by 40 runs, no doubt all their eyes will definitely be on the second test match starting today at Basseterre which the West Indies hardly have a chance looking at their standard. But still, having hopes shouldn't be a problem no matter what. It needs a thorough search through the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Internet</span> to see when last did the West Indies win a test match let alone a test series barring the Providence test last week against Pakistan. Of course, they have never met India since 2006 which reduced their burden a little bit.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">However, they are bound to meet India later next month for a bilateral series where once again they are termed underdogs. Now, their concern if the West Indies captain-</span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-pakistan-2011/content/story/515842.html">Darren Sammy is to be believed</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> is their rankings which have since the past 8 years or so have been just two behind the bottom. With Zimbabwe losing its test status in 2005, now the West Indies are just behind Bangladesh in the latest ICC test rankings. This has to be the area of concern for the team who once upon a time dominated world cricket. Beating Pakistan this time as well and India in the forthcoming tour can be a possibility with West Indies facing them at home. But..</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-51063898529339021532011-05-16T07:27:00.000-07:002011-05-19T07:52:27.713-07:00Shocked!<span style="font-family: arial;">I had to keep on reading the news again and again unable to believe it in my eyes when I saw it for the first time on the television and on the news channels. The West Indies had beaten Pakistan by 40 runs in the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-pakistan-2011/content/story/515125.html">first test at Providence</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. I had not much of a surprise when the West Indies had two consecutive wins against Pakistan in the last two one dayers which came after they had lost three matches earlier to the sub-continent nation. Of course, that was four in a row for the teams considering the West Indies' ten wicket loss to Pakistan in the quarter-finals of the world cup.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But, a test victory for West Indies against Pakistan is indeed something really worth of a praise for the hosts not only for their victory but also for their win in a test match when the spectators all over the world would have other opinions regarding the test status retained for the West Indies by the ICC. Had I been the ICC chief, I would have stripped the West Indies of their test status after Brian Lara retired. I just can't recall when last did the West Indies last win a test match against a decent opposition barring Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Likewise, my doubt to you readers is whether the West Indies have won a test match against even Bangladesh for, all I can remember West Indies doing was to lost both the test matches to Bangladesh on their last tour at home two years ago. Since 2007, the West Indies have never faced India in test matches be it on tour or at home. And they have not won a match against South Africa despite the teams meeting each other every year. Can anyone of you tell me when last did West Indies meet England and Australia and New Zealand recently?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Pakistan's dreams have been shattered once again when they lost the first test by 40 runs yesterday. Pakistan, we hear was and is and after this test will always be looking for a test series win against the West Indies in West Indies. Way back in 2005, the Inzamam-Ul-Haq led Pakistan team snatched a win in the 2</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> test at </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/210368.html">Kingston</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> after losing the 1</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">st</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> test at Bridgetown by 276 runs. This time also, all odds favor Pakistan to win over West Indies in the second test starting on 20</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> at Basseterre but will have to wait for another tour to relish their dreams.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-92112428737238679352011-05-15T08:04:00.000-07:002011-05-18T08:22:50.491-07:00RCB always a cakewalk for DC<span style="font-family: arial;">It has been a traditional contest between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Deccan Chargers since the inauguration of the Indian Premier League in 2008 when both the teams first competed for the last spot on the charts table with the same two teams making it to the finals of the same a year later when the competition was held in South Africa. This was followed by the teams facing back each other in the third edition once again in India when the Royal Challengers lost both the games to the Deccan Chargers in the league stages but bounced back in the crucial stage to make it to the champions league.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Putting the past behind us, in the current edition of the same, once again the Deccan Chargers have defeated the Royal challengers rather royally when the margin of defeat would raise a question whether it was a T20 game or the one day international that they were witnessing. A margin of 33 runs can happen only in one day international when one of the teams have the advantage of the toss they would have won before the match would have started. But, that can hardly be the case in T20 games when the pitch would hardly be different from what it was a couple of hours ago.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A target of 172 runs for the Royal Challengers Bangalore would and should have been an achievable one if it is the T20 game that is going on on the field. The run rate that is required in such a case is just less than 9 runs an over but still achievable with players like Tilakaratne Dilshan and Virat Kohli in the team. However, if the Royal Challengers Bangalore captain-Daniel Vettori shows some extraordinary brains and sends in Zaheer Khan at number three to bat, than things may turn out to be different that what would have been expected. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">There were just three hits out of the ground from the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/indian-premier-league-2011/engine/match/501208.html">RCB team</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> and all of it belonged to the top scorer-Virat Kohli who shone with the bat with a handy 71 off 51 deliveries. That constituted half of their overall total of 142 that included 8 extras. One has to wonder why were there the likes of A B deVilliars and Dilshan when their contribution never crossed the double digit mark. If Zaheer Khan could bowl first and return successful with three scalps, the same Zaheer Khan spoiled the RCB party by coming in at number 3. Instead, Vettori could have bought himself on keeping in mind his all round abilities. But, who can tell Vettori?</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-19435750638631886682011-05-13T07:33:00.000-07:002011-05-18T08:00:01.357-07:00Premier League disease spreads to SL<span style="font-family:arial;">Well one has to no doubt be fed up with the ongoing Indian Premier League in its fourth successive edition and bound to become more and more worthless and boring at the same time. Now, it would come in as another blow when a neighboring country tries to copy the same irrespective of whether it would become successful or not. As stated earlier, the 4</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family:arial;"> edition of the IPL is nothing but total crap with lack of any cricketing technique. One can hardly see any high scores chased down or any sort of big hitting from the blades of say Brendon McCullum.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I hardly have the patience to go through the website to check out who holds the orange and the purple cap and on the other side who is the topper on the charts. But, through newspapers and sports magazines, I can say that the real action is missing out totally not partially. There is no Anil Kumble who could do wonders with the ball and people like Shane Warne and Muralitharan who have shown great expectations are highly below the mark with the ball deciding not to respect these elders in the game. Likewise, Glenn McGrath is missing from the action from the past 2 years.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And, coming to the batting, someone like Sanath Jayasuriya and Brian Lara have been shown the gates before they had decided to enter one when they were not picked up by any of the franchisees. With that apart, now one more goat is found following its parent when the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/srilanka/content/story/514792.html">SLC not only plans to do a replica of the same but also ends up kick starting one</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. Pakistan had one shown interest in holding such an event on its soil but may be didn't go ahead with the same citing </span><del style="font-family: arial;">security reasons</del><span style="font-family:arial;"> hosting and venue reasons. Well, I'm afraid whether this would definitely work.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Though most of them would now be looking forward to <a href="http://www.alfonsin2009.com/">Entertainment,travel & living</a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"> blogs, the Indian premier League is of some interest but that can never be guaranteed regarding the Sri Lankan counterpart whatsoever. I wonder what teams would feature in the Sri Lankan Premier League with the entire nation as big as one state in India. Perhaps! Every gully will have a team of its own. Added to that, the Sri Lankan cricket board should also look out for the dates on the calender with the entire year busy. All cricket boards cannot be lucky as the BCCI are. </span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-5290073039015359022011-04-16T07:06:00.000-07:002011-05-19T07:27:33.754-07:00Could not have been better for Kochi<span style="font-family:arial;">They took four long years to make it to the Indian Premier League and it should be as mindblowing as it can get when they beat the former runners-up and along with it the number one team in last year's edition of the same. Howver, I am aware that my words make little sense for it is only the Kochi Tuskers Kerala who as a team are making their first appearance in the IPL and not its players especially in the game of cricket. Players like Sreesanth, Jayawardane and McCullum along with Muralitharan know what it takes to be the best.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">If Sachin Tendulkar is someone who can do miracles with the bat, Muralitharan is another similar chap who can do the same with the ball. Someone like Sreesanth can play well for his home team-Kochi rather than some Kings XI Punjab needless to be said. But, much to anyone's surprise the same man from the same town was found to lack his place in the playing eleven. However, that should not be the matter to think about when it was the time to rejoice after Kochi handed Mumbai a 8 wicket defeat yesterday at Mumbai. Defeating a lion's team on its own den is better relished than missing out on a local lion.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The Kochi Tuskers Kerala team has been the pick of this edition of the Indian Premier League not only for their on field performance but also for the team that they have chosen to head with. They have batsmen of the likes of Brendon McCullum who is a hard hitting player famous for his 158 off just 74 balls in the inaugural edition and the inaugural match of the IPL when he blasted the RCB bowlers all over the stadium to score the only 150+ individual score of the IPL which stands even today. Other mad names include Muralitharan, John Hastings and Brad Hodge.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The highlight of the day was the hundred by Sachin Tendulkar which was I guess the first in his T20 career if the IPL is considered as a tournament. Otherwise, Sachin Tendulkar has hardly any T20 games behind him. For a change, he was not awarded the man of the match despite scoring a hundred which brigs up another rarity in cricket. That hundred according to me should have been the innings bestowed compared to McCullum's 81. When Sachin Tendulkar could have been given the man of the series last year despite being on the losing side, one has to wonder what deceived him </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/indian-premier-league-2011/engine/match/501210.html">yesterday</a><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-47999437124696695812011-03-09T03:38:00.000-08:002011-03-13T03:56:09.805-07:00New Zealand make their presence felt<span style="font-family: arial;">Well needless to be said, </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/engine/match/433581.html">New Zealand beat Pakistan</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> yesterday by 110 runs which was their first <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">victory</span> in world cups since 1992 (the world cup since which I have been following). I still remember New Zealand losing two games to Pakistan in the 1992 world cup, one in the league stages and the other in the semi finals which saw their fans leave the stadium in tears. Since then, New Zealand have been losing to Pakistan in 5 occasions, two each in the 1992 and 1999 editions and 1 in 1996. Since then the two teams have never met in world cups at all.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">For two world cups since 1999, Pakistan have never been able to cross the first round of the world cup and the teams had been grouped in such a way that Pakistan had no chance of meeting New Zealand in the league stages of the world cup. Of course, the teams have met in the T20 world cup in all three editions with Pakistan winning two and New Zealand one. Coming to the ICC champions trophy, which is also a world cup tournament, Pakistan and New Zealand have met thrice with New Zealand winning all three in 2000, 2006 and 2009.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Yesterday, Pakistan just paid the price for not being so alert on the field when they dropped the catch of none other than Ross Taylor who was instrumental in New <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Zealand's</span> 92 runs off the last four overs that laid the platform for their victory. On the other hand, New <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Zealand's</span> fielding was exactly the opposite of their Pakistani counterpart. There was a warning in that game against <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sri</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Lanka</span> when ones turned out to be twos, easy catches were dropped and run outs were missed. Finally, Pakistan had to settle with a 11 run win which should have been 50 runs or so.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A bowler who could take three consecutive 4+ wicket hauls and claim his best favorite shot to be "anywhere for six" could only take one gifted wicket of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Guptill</span> and score 17 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 188. It is just unfortunate for Pakistan to have such an inspirational captain who can hardly take responsibility when the situations demands a captain's knock similar to that of Steve Waugh. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Afridi</span> was one among the two six hitters from Pakistan but which was hardly of any use to his team. By winning the game against Pakistan, New Zealand made their presence felt after they had lost to Australia and were likely to lose yesterday as well.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-40625731579113733982011-03-08T03:03:00.000-08:002011-03-13T03:24:30.651-07:00One winner and one loser theory<span style="font-family: arial;">Well in any game and more so in cricket, one team has to win while the other has to lose. I specially cite cricket as an example in this regard for, chances of a tie are as rare compared to games like hockey and soccer. In cricket there is no or hardly any room for time out which is quite evident from the fact that till date no batsman has been out after taking to the crease after 1.5 minute as the rule goes. That aside, <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/engine/match/433580.html">yesterday</a> there was a game between Canada and Kenya which though was of little or no importance but there was a 50 over game.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">There was 95% of the game that went by with one team taking home the honors and the other team a "best of luck in the next game". But, one thing that is to be seen and appreciated is the fact that the stadium was full despite the teams being just for the sake of it. One advantage of such a game would be that spectators do not come in support of any team unlike when it is the case when the teams playing are India and Pakistan. Cheers are heard all over irrespective of any tongue twister from Kenya scores a boundary or and Indian born Canadian takes a wicket.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Even whether gods seem to favor such games when a match between Sri Lanka and Australia gets washed out due to rain. People who come to stadium to watch such games should either be jobless or have to an avid cricket enthusiast. I totally forgot to mention that it is only for such games that tickets are available with minimum effort and may be at a lesser price compared to tough competitions. If the players battle it out on the field, spectators battle it out outside the stadium. But, this match seems to lack both onfield as well as off the field competition.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Speaking cricket, there was a 4 wicket haul taken by a Canadian bowler when Henry Osinde had figures of 4/26 from his allotted 10 overs. This saw Kenya losing all ten wickets but played their full quota of 50 overs allotted to them. If history is to be considered, then Kenya should have been found playing much more better cricket which two cups back saw them make it to the semis of the world cup after a lot of support from Sri Lanka and New Zealand. Likewise, even Canada have been involved in upsets when they beat Bangladesh in 2003 world cup and with a batsman in John Davidson who scored the fastest 100 of a world cup at that time.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-83965299150798202472011-02-03T19:10:00.000-08:002011-02-05T19:30:35.525-08:00Can Australia make it this time as well?<span style="font-family:arial;">Doubts have always been raised regarding Australia's chances of miking it big in the upcoming world cup held in the sub-continent since the retirement of the bunch of 8-9 players after the 2007 triumph in the Caribbean and loss of form and fitness of most of the remaining players like Brett Lee, Michael Hussey etc to name a few. In case Australia manage to repeat the feat not only will they be doing it for the 5</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family:arial;"> time in the history of the world cup but will also do it for the fourth time in a row. No team has even managed even three in a row.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And, not only that. Ricky Ponting will be the 1</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">st</sup><span style="font-family:arial;"> captain in the history of a world cup to have lifted the world cup thrice and that too consecutively. If the chances of Australia repeating the feat yet again this time in the sub-continent are considered, it would be worth to mention that Australia will be heading for the big stage without the likes of Glenn McGrath for the first time since 1996, without Symonds, Gilchrist, Hayden, Brad Hogg etc for the first time since 2003. With all thse factors, though Australia's chances of winning the world cup cannot be ruled out, their magical days are definitely lost.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Since the start of the 2003 world cup in South Africa, Australia have not lost even a single ODI be it against any opposition and under any circumstances. Australia won the match against England in the league stages of the world cup in 2003 after at one stage being 135/8 and against New Zealand after being at 84/7. Thanks to Michael Beaven's patient knock in both the games. Beaven was deceived from the man of the match award in both the games. In 2007, there were no close calls for Australia against any team, which makes them go unbeaten for 22 consecutive matches.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Australia didn't face India or Pakistan in that edition and even if they did, the result would not have been any different. With the absence of the match winners, it is not possible for Australia to win all the matches they play. And, if bad luck shifts from RSA to Australia, may be they might lose in the quarter finals itself.Though there is no McGrath or Gilchrist this time, there are likes of Shane Watson, Ponting, Haddin, Mitchell Johnson and Shaun Tait to name a few. A hint regarding Australia's fate is evident from the face that they have not been able to defend the Ashes after the retirement of these players in 2006.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Neither have they been able to win a test </span><del style="font-family: arial;">series</del><span style="font-family:arial;"> match against India since then.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-35969077829870584282011-01-29T07:27:00.000-08:002011-02-02T08:12:05.377-08:00Semi finals of a world cup<span style="font-family: arial;">Well with countdown beginning for the world cup starting 19</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> of this month, even my eyes are set on the same. And, this has made me go through the past 9 editions of the same starting from 1975 when I was still not born. Well, with that being a different issue, casting our eyes on the statistics would mean a lot with the ongoing excitement in the wait game in all our minds. Starting from the 1975, 1979 and 1983 world cups in England, the semi final match was the first between the two teams under consideration for West Indies never played Pakistan in 1975 before the semis. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Since 1992, the semi finals of the world cup has been a repeat of the match that was played earlier at one point of the tournament be it in the league stages or in the earlier rounds like the super sixes and the super eights. Starting from 1992, the semis was Pakistan v New Zealand and England v South Africa with the results being the same. </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65151.html">Pakistan had beaten New Zealand</a> earlier by 7 wickets at Christchurch and <a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/65145.html">England had beaten South Africa</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> by 3 wickets. In 1996, for a change only one result happened to be the same with Australia winning the semis against West Indies which was opposite of what happened in the league stages.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1999 world cup as well, the result of the two semi finals happened to be the same with Australia beating South Africa by 5 wickets in the super six stage and Pakistan beating New Zealand by 69 runs in the league stage before Australia beat RSA by 0 runs and Pakistan beat New Zealand by 9 wickets. In 2003 as well, the semifinals were India v Kenya and Australia v Sri Lanka, the results being the same as was in their earlier encounter. India had beaten Kenya by 7 wickets in the super sixes while Australia had beaten Sri Lanka by 96 runs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In the 2007 edition as well, the semi finals of the tournament was a replica of what happened in the earlier encounters be it in the super eight stage or the round robin stage. Sri Lanka had beaten New Zealand earlier in the super eight stage by 6 wickets while Australia had beaten South Africa by 83 runs in the round robin stage of the tournament. Another interesting fact is that since 1999, one semi finals is the one played between the same two teams in super sixes with the other being played in the league stages barring 2003. For some more feats regarding world cups come back tomorrow to the site.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-75693351415199530612011-01-28T23:37:00.000-08:002011-02-01T05:00:49.037-08:00Hosts at a world tournament<span style="font-family: arial;">As the countdown for the mega event has already begun, a look at the hosts of 10 world cups, 5 ICC Champions trophy and 3 World T20s would be worth going through. Out of the </span><del style="font-family: arial;">10</del><span style="font-family: arial;"> 9 nations who have been granted the test status, all of them have hosted world cups atleast once, with India & Pakistan doing it twice in 1987 and 1996, Sri Lanka doing it in 1996 and this year 2011 along with Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and West Indies doing it once. With Bangladesh being one of the </span><del style="font-family: arial;">4</del><span style="font-family: arial;"> 3 hosts this time, the set is complete with all 9 nations having their share.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">An interesting fact to be noted is that Kenya are the only non-test playing nation to have hosted a world cup match when they did it in 2003. Of the lot, only 2 of the 9 hosts has been able to make it to the finals of a world cup when England did it in 1979 and Sri Lanka in 1996. Further refinement would drop Sri Lanka for, the final of the 1996 world cup was held in Pakistan. This brings England a rare gesture of being the only hosts to have reached the finals of a world cup. However, until 1983, it was named Prudential cup which even drops England from the list.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In 1975 and 1983, England managed to reach the semis while both India and Pakistan managed the same in 1987. Australia missed out in reaching the semis in 1992 after rain helped Pakistan take the place of Australia. Pakistan missed out a semifinal berth in 1996 with India and Sri Lanka making it there. In 2003, the major hosts - RSA failed to get past the 1</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">st</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> stage with Zimbabwe ending it in the super sixes and Kenya in the semis. Thanks to the forfeited matches by England and New Zealand against Zimbabwe and Kenya respectively. And in 2007, West Indies were lucky to be in the super eights.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So has been the case with the ICC Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka yet again being the only hosts to have reached the finals of the same after they were declared joint winners along with India in 2002. Coincidentally, England are the only other team to have managed to reach the finals of an ICC Champions trophy in 2004 after beating Australia in the semis. It would be worth mentioning that Australia are the only team to have won both the ICC world cup and champions trophy in South Africa and India, with West Indies being the other team to have done so in England by winning the Prudential cup in 1975 & 1979 and ICC CT in 2004.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-2504514167820581322011-01-27T20:21:00.000-08:002011-01-29T23:26:39.554-08:00South Africa has to learn fro India experience<span style="font-family: arial;">Well as I have written in most of my earlier posts related to India's recent tour of South Africa which South Africa win with a lot of ups and downs, South Africa have only managed to take home the series and emerge as official winners of the bilateral series. But, as most of them have out it, it was India who took home more benefits from the tour compared to South Africa if not the series. A series that South Africa should have won 5-0 was won by a 3-2 margin. Had this been a 3 match bilateral series, India would have won 2-1.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">There should have been no reason for South Africa to have lost both the second as well as the third one dayer with the expectations being so low. Chasing down a mere total of 191 on the board should have been no big task and, with 8 wickets in hand that too obtained at crucial moments of the match, defending 220 in the 3</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> One dayer was also not acceptable at any cost. Things are worse for the feat happened to be achieved by South Africa at home. So, one can imagine what might happen when South Africa tour for the world cup with India being one of the hosts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This has been realized earlier by </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/498363.html">Dale Steyn</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> prior to other members of the South African team. South Africa, as said above will be heading towards the sub continent shortly for the mega event and unluckily, they are grouped with none other than India, the team which tested its guts on home soil. But, once again, luck stays in favor of South Africa this time with Nagpur being set to host the India - South Africa match, the venue where </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/indvrsa2010/engine/match/441825.html">South Africa claimed an innings win</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> in the first test in early 2010. And adding to that, though South Africa have been unlucky in world cups, they are not as unlucky in the pool stages.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">South Africa have managed 5/5 in the group stage of the 1996 world cup, 4/5 in the 1999 world cup. However, though RSA won just 1/2 in 2007, Australia was a better team than RSA. So was the case in 2003 where New Zealand and West Indies both beat RSA before they tied with Sri Lanka. And, in case South Africa lose to India, they have matches against England and West Indies, against which winning can be considered to be easy for South Africa. But, Dale Steyn has to be careful about his team's performance with Smith having decided to quit as captain after the world cup.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-36825993820270114082011-01-26T04:06:00.000-08:002011-01-27T06:55:29.161-08:00The deserving and undeserving<span style="font-family: arial;">Well it was fascinating to see V V S Laxman being awarded the 4</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> highest honor namely the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/498280.html">Padma Shri award</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> needless to be said for his contribution to international and domestic cricket. Though Laxman deserves the award, one has to think aout the deserving but denied cricketers like Javagal Srinath whose contribution to Indian cricket is as immense as Laxman's is along with the other 10 such players. Things have become a total confusion in Indian cricket with undeserving players becoming millionaires while the deserving are taken up for a throw away price. I can also recall someone quoting Mathew Hayden above Sachin Tendulkar in the international run.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">If the list of the 10 players who have been awarded the Padma Shri is given a close look at, the list includes Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Bishen Singh Bedi. No doubt that all these players deserve to be in the elite list with some doubts raising over the selection of Ganguly and Bishen Singh Bedi, some other players who could have been given a thought include Javagal Srinath who was the lone fast bowler after Kapil Dev to continue for 12 years before Zaheer Khan and co took charge.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">If Anil Kumble could have been given the honor, Javagal Srinath deserves it equally. Similiarly, another cricketer to have been unlucky is Syed Kirmani, who was a wicket keeper one of his kind and a replacement for whom is yet to be included. Not even Dhoni can be placed close to Kirmani in terms of wicket keeping. And then, Krishnamachari Shrikanth was the first batsman and cricketer to have taken two five wicket hauls for India, something that even a full time bowler Kapil Dev couldn't do. Mohammed Azharuddin was the first Indian batsman to have crossed 6000 runs in one day cricket but Azharuddin has been given a different award.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">No one disputes the treatment given to Azharuddin. And, if the list is once again given a close look at, it is evident that except for Kapil, Bedi and Gavaskar, the rest of them belong to the recent past or the last decade. One has to give a rethinking to the selection of Dhoni into this elite list with more than a decade to go in his career. So is the case with Harbhajan Singh when Zaheer Khan and Yuvraj Singh miss out. One more interesting fact is that except Harbhajan, Kumble, and Bedi the rest of them are batsmen. Kapil is the lone all rounder. Now, another batsman has joined the list.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, the list holds good if statistics are excluded from discussion. But, what else does hold good to judge a player's caliber?</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-90879599028700565162011-01-25T11:55:00.000-08:002011-01-27T04:04:31.422-08:00Has Pakistan chosen a decent squad?<span style="font-family: arial;">Well, it is just less than a month before the big even is about to start and one should be hapy to hear that Pakistan is still yet to select a captain for its team. May be the PCB is still awaiting the comeback of Imran Khan, Inzamam or Wasim Akram, failing to realize that they have retired from all forms of cricket long back. There might have been cases here teams would have headed to a tournament without a full time coach like it happened in the inaugural edition of the world T20 tournament in 2007 where India headed with a stand in bowling coach-Venkatesh Prasad.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But, can there ever be a team without a captain or can there be a team which decides who should captain just moments before calling the toss? The PCB has made a debacle by dropping fellow players like Mohammed Yusuf and Salman Butt, both of whom could have borne the responsibility, captaincy has to be an issue whatsoever. Moreover, if the squad that the Pakistan team will be heading with to the world cup is taken, the issue gets even more bigger and may be even bigger than the one haunting its captaincy issue. Captaincy can be borne by either Afridi or Abdul Razzaq keeping in mind the experience of both.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It looks like <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/498138.html">Inzamam Ul Haq is worried</a> regarding who will captain his side with so many of them being shown the doors in the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc_cricket_worldcup2011/content/story/497289.html">15 member squad</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. Afridi has though not done a fab job as a player, his statistics suggest that he has played more than 200 matches in limited overs cricket but, keeping in mind his carelessness in selecting shots, he has to be kept out of discussion. However, Abdul Razzaq can be a good choice keeping in mind both his experience and sense of responsibility when it comes to both batting as well as bowling. Other names that strike are Kamran Akmal and Younus Khan.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">With Younis Khan opting out, another choice would be Misbah Ul Haq who has shown to me rather responsible and with no other member of the 15 member squad seeming to do the job, Misbah can well be an option. But, if the squad itself is considered, it looks like Pakistan is bound to do an Australia for the wrong reasons. If Pakistan fail to go past the 1</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">st</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> stage of the tournament, they will be failing to do so for the 3</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> time in a row like Australia winning the world cup since 1999. There was no reason to include Shoaib Akthar when Yousuf was denied entry.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-74936153169455700082011-01-24T05:27:00.000-08:002011-01-25T05:57:30.371-08:00Unbelievable!<span style="font-family: arial;">Well once again, you readers might go misled by the title which might make you think that the post is written regarding India's comeback in yesterday's match against South Africa after at one stage of the game reeling at 119 runs on the board losing 8 wickets leaving the tail enders a rather impossible job to accomplish. But, my post is regarding the man of the match award going in favor of Hashim Amla and the man of the series award favoring Morne Morkel, both of which were not justified. Of course, it was Amla who did a fab job for his team which emerged victorious.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">My man of the match would have been none other than Yousuf Pathan who not only took the match from nowhere towards the target but was also speed in doing so. People might have come across batsmen who would have seen their team victorious after seeming to be impossible at one stage, losing quick wickets in important stages of the match and with limited overs to play. But, the pace at which they would have scored the winning runs would be nowhere close to what Yousuf Pathan was seen doing yesterday. Of course, Zaheer Khan gave him a good support from the other end.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I can recall the semi finals of the world cup in between Australia and West Indies in 1996 and against South Africa in 1999, both matches which Michael Beaven set right for his team. But, the rate at which Beaven scored his runs was very careful unlike a 68 ball hundred by Yousuf Pathan yesterday. Another match that I would like to cite here is the one between </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/indvaus2009/engine/match/416240.html">India and Australia at Hyderabad</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> played in October 2009 where Sachin Tendulkar scored 175 runs while chasing a target of 350 and eventually falling short by 3 runs. In that match though India lost, Sachin Tendulkar was awarded the man of the match.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">And coming to the man of the series award, Morne Morkel stood no chance with the likes of Hashim Amla, Yousuf Pathan being right there. Morkel was not even the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?id=5927;type=series">highest wicket taker</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> in the series but rather comes in the 2</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> place with 12 scalps after Tsotsobe who had 13 of them against his name. Likewise, Hashim Amla topped the charts for the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/batting/most_runs_career.html?id=5927;type=series">highest run getter</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> in the series amassing 250 runs from the five games he played. Also, Duminy was a contender with 244 runs from 5 matches. But, Morkel stood nowhere for the award with Yousuf Pathan also well in the race.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-20935454072563522772011-01-21T04:40:00.000-08:002011-01-23T06:04:55.547-08:00John Wright has to worry<span style="font-family: arial;">Well very few players get a chance to coach the very same team for which they were playing years ago and John Wright is one of those lucky ones to have managed that when he now stands as the coach of the New Zealand team which is totally a different team compared to the team which he was coaching some 5 years ago. John Wright coached India until 2005 and during his tenure as the Indian coach, he was successful in seeing India make it to the finals of two world tournaments namely the ICC Champions trophy 2002 and ICC world cup in 2003.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Not only did he do this but in addition, John Wright saw Indian team win against all opposition except Australia in the 2003 world cup. Now, with John Wright being the coach of his home team, he has pointed the 11 losses of his team in succession and much to anyone's amazement, all those losses that the Kiwis have suffered have been against sub continent teams which includes Bangladesh as well in addition to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. New Zealand is one of those rare teams to have had </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/team/5.html?class=2;spanmin2=13+Aug+2010;spanval2=span;template=results;type=team;view=results">4 losses against Bangladesh</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> in a span of 13 days between 5</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> October 2010 and 17</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> October 2010.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Added to those 4 losses, New Zealand's one off match against Bangladesh was abandoned which made them return penniless from that tour of Bangladesh. One can recall the West Indies team being whitewashed by Bangladesh in mid 2009 with most of the performers from West Indies going on strike leaving their U-19 players to take to the field. This was not the case with New Zealand whatsoever. To make things even more worse, New Zealand's losses to Bangladesh was even more than what they faced against Sri Lanka. New Zeland lost 2 games against Sri Lanka compared to 4 against Bangladesh.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">With most of the teams around the world boycotting their tour of Pakistan and New Zealand being one among them, they lost the chance of losing to Pakistan on their home soil but, that didn't stop them from favoring Pakistan when recently they lost the test series against Pakistan on their home soil 0-1. As a coincidence, new Zealand are set top play the world cup in the same venues where they have lost the aforementioned games in Dhaka, Sri Lanka and India. All these with players like Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee to name a few big hitting names. This makes Wright's job even more tough and god knows what he vows when he says </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/new-zealand-v-pakistan-2010/content/story/497568.html">this</a><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-20008089858420398782011-01-17T03:56:00.000-08:002011-01-23T04:39:34.047-08:00Centuries - Now and then!<span style="font-family:arial;">Well recently, I came across Sachin Tendulkar's 50</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family:arial;"> ton in test match cricket and just though from where to where is the records heading towards. I can just recall the 34 centuries by the Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar whose record was for a change broken by a non Sachin Tendulkar when Brian Lara scored his 35</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family:arial;"> test hundred against one of the eight test playing nations whose name is not important at the moment. This was some 5 -6 years down the lane. And now, Sunil Gavaskar's record stands in the 6</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family:arial;"> place behind Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Kallis.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Likewise, Sunil Gavaskar was the first and the only one until the above mentioned ones took his place and then overtook him to score 30 centuries in tests or more. Sunil Gavaskar was the only non colored player to have scored more than 30 hundreds in tests. The other batsman to cross 30 hundreds was Steve Waugh who had worn the yellow color. As a matter of fact, the color dress in one day cricket was introduced in the 1992 world cup played in Australia/New Zealand while Sunil Gavaskar retired from all forms of cricket in 1987. Since then, all the aforementioned players have worn their team color.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Now, with totally six players joining the 30+ hundred club, shifting our focuses on batsmen who have scored 20 or more hundreds, the list is even more long with batsmen from all teams barring Zimbabwe and Bangladesh being excluded from the list. The 30+ club includes 3 batsmen from India, 1 from South Africa, 1 from West Indies and 3 from Australia, with teams like Sri Lanka, New Zealand, England and Pakistan missing out from the list. However, the 20s club does not exclude batsmen from these countries with the list going endless with as many as 33 players from 8 nations making it to the club.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Coming to the one dayers, 17 centuries by Desmond Haynes was the highest ever scored which stood for almost a decade and now, that figure stands in the 10<sup>th</sup> position jointly held by Kallis and is ever decreasing. Similar to the fate of 30+ hundreds scores in tests, 20+ centuries in one dayers stand at number six with Jayasuriya, Sachin Tendulkar, Ponting, Ganguly, Saeed Anwar and Gibbs having achieved that. Keeping in mind these figures, there might be more number of batsmen in the days to come to score atleast 40 hundreds in tests and 30 in one dayers. Of course, very few might do a combo of 50 hundreds in both forms of the game.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-65204654425132470462011-01-16T08:17:00.000-08:002011-01-16T08:51:03.623-08:00How could this happen!<span style="font-family: arial;">Well, anyone who reads the title of this post would be thinking it to be regarding South Africa's loss at the hands of India. However, though defending a total of 190 on board shocks everyone, a greater shock is something regarding Sachin Tendulkar having to opt out of the bilateral series owing to a hamstring injury. The reason for shock would not certainly be the absence of Sachin Tendulkar for the remaining four matches against the Proteas but the question here is will Sachin Tendulkar be fit for the upcoming world cup where Sachin Tendulkar is about to make his 6th appearance?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Another feature to be noted is that prior to every world cup, Sachin Tendulkar is found to be rested from the team atleast since the 1999 world cup played in England. Sachin Tendulkar was rested from two triangular series', one involving India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka in India and the other involving India, Pakistan and England played at Sharjah. Owing to the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, India failed miserably especially in the matches against Pakistan despite there being the presence of Dravid, Azharuddin, Ganguly and Jadeja. And, the bowling department including Srinath, Kumble and Prasad couldn't save face for their team.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It was the absence of Sachin Tendulkar in the match against Zimbabwe that proved to be very costly for India which saw them struggle and end their world cup dreams in the super six stage itself of the world cup after their loss to Australia. Sachin Tendulkar had to leave to Mumbai owing to his father's death. With that apart, even prior to the world cup in 2003 at South Africa, Sachin Tendulkar was rested from the Indian squad in the series against West Indies and New Zealand, both the series which India lost. Sachin Tendulkar's next appearance was in the world cup regarding which nothing needs to be stated in particular.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">However, as an exception, prior to the 2007 world cup, Sachin Tendulkar was available for the bilateral series against both Sri Lanka and West Indies and moreover, Sachin Tendulkar was awarded the man of the tournament in the series against West Indies no matter for what. This time, though Sachin Tendulkar was thought to be available for the bilateral series against South Africa and now he has to return owing to a hamstring injury as mentioned earlier. Statistics suggest that whenever Sachin Tendulkar was unavailable for tournaments prior to the world cup, India have fared well like in 1999 and 2003 and failed when he was available like in 2007.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-18596356837996099422010-12-07T04:47:00.000-08:002010-12-13T07:28:38.653-08:00Down Down New Zealand<span style="font-family: arial;">Well if one can go through </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-new-zealand-2010/content/story/490671.html">cricinfo's latest article</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, wherein it has been expected out of New Zealand to take home some face before they leave the country, I can no doubt tell all you people out there that New Zealand has to play some lesser teams like say West Indies or Bangladesh (against which their next series is due) to gain some confidence before they take on the world's major teams in the 10</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> edition of the world cup coincidentally held in few of the same venues where they lost their first three encounters against India, not before losing the test series.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Prior to the tournament, the new Zealand captain was found talking some positive stuff when he indicated that his team would gain a lot of exposure from the tours of India and Bangladesh prior to the world cup. But, if this is what the Kiwi captain is found to take home from this series, one can hope to see New Zealand wait until the next world cup in 2015 which luckily is scheduled on their home soil. Atleast, New Zealand should have won one of the one dayers to have been alive in the series if not the complete series.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Needless to be said, New Zealand managed to draw the first two tests before their loss to India in the third test at Nagpur by an innings and 198 runs. In both the innings, New Zealand failed to go past the 200 run mark. After the test series, may be India realized that they should have rested the key players like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh for the test series as well as it has been the case in the ongoing one dayers. When Harbhajan Singh was able to smash the Kiwi bowlers 7 times out of the ground, their caliber is well in front of all of us.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Though in case New Zealand manage to win the remaining two one day internationals against India, it would be India who would be experimenting with their opponenets rather than to say that New Zealand played decent cricket. If Gambhir plans to experiment with his team for the remaining two ODIs, may be New Zealand can take home a couple of wins. But, the ultimate loser would obviously be New Zealand who could not tackle a team with most of its key players being reserved. I hope the Kiwis should take lessons from Bangladesh who made history from an under - rated WI team last year.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-85522698785744740202010-09-18T09:22:00.000-07:002010-09-21T09:45:44.377-07:00Vettori's dream for his team<span style="font-family: arial;">If New Zealand can make it to the finals of a world cup for the first time in its 29 year old history, why should that not make the New Zealand captain </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.cricinfo.com/newzealand/content/story/477481.html">Daniel Vettori happy atleast in his dreams</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. The reason why the world dream is mentioned here is because, like the Kiwis, even the Aussies would be touring India for a full fledged series before New Zealand make it there. Of course, that might not have anything to do with New Zealand trying to make hay is this sunshine. But, it is needed to be mentioned that preparations for the same need much more planning than this.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I can show you that Australia neither prior to the 2003 world cup at South Africa nor the 2007 world cup at West Indies had ever toured the same but at the end not only did Australia win the world cup but also did they do the same without losing even a single game en route. New Zealand had beaten Australia 3-0 in the three match one day series in the Chappel - Hadlee series just a month before the world cup in 2007. But, in the big stage, New Zealand failed miserably by losing the super eights game to Australia by a margin of 233 runs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">New Zealand were partly responsible in throwing off Australia from their number 1 spot in world cricket when they did the above mentioned feat. Not only did New Zealand beat Australia but they also had two successful run chases of 337 and 347 respectively in the 2</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> and the 3</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> one day internationals. Perhaps, that was the only instance where two score above 330 were chased successfully by any team. Even today, these two scores stand in the 2</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> and the 3</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">rd</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> place when it comes to the most successful run chases in one day internationals. At the same time, the 233 run loss was the 2</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> worst defeat in the 2007 world cup after Bermuda's 257 run loss to India.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Daniel Vettori's words no doubt is of much concern for, a practice at a venue which in six month's time would host the biggest events of cricket will surely add to one's fortune and a fortune for New Zealand would be that they might make it to the finals of the world cup for the first time and break the jinx. Luckily, they are bound to play Bangladesh in Bangladesh and India in India. And, one more thing that would be rejoiced would be that New Zealand would be playing a full fledged series against India and in India after 7 years, when New Zealand last toured India in late 2003 for a two test series.</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-90668909533995096462010-09-17T07:30:00.000-07:002010-09-21T09:15:30.039-07:00Crap this allrounder!!!<span style="font-family: arial;">Well exactly 9 months back a star fast bowler in Shane Bond retires from test cricket owing to the same reason as the current "under discussion" player Andrew Flintoff. Shane Bond had announced his retirement from test cricket owing to a back injury which he assumes makes it difficult to play the longest version of the game. Now, with <a href="http://www.cricinfo.com/england/content/player/12856.html">Andrew Flintoff following suit</a>, it looks as though records can hardly be bettered by the present batch of youngsters. This was all the more expected from Flintoff when he bid adieu from test cricket after the Ashes last year owing to a knee injury.</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">And, almost one year later from that announcement, Andrew Flintoff is now seen calling it a day from all formats of the game. This is indeed a huge blow to the cricketing world who rarely see all rounders like Andrew Flintoff make it to the international arena. Andrew Flintoff is an all rounder one of his kind with South Africa's Jacques Kallis being the only other to parallel him. However, when both their careers are compared, Kallis stands apart with more than 6 years of international cricket to his credit. The point here is not to compare anyone with Flintoff.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Instead, Flintoff needs to be cursed for not being able to give his fullest to the game which has given him fans outside England as well. Citing his achievements in international cricket would be just another boring set of words. But, I personally condemn his retirement at this age which now reads just above 32 years. Andrew Flintoff could have gone on to play for another world cup scheduled in another 6 months from now onwards. On one side of the cricketing world, there is some Sachin Tendulkar who started his international career more than a decade before Flintoff and is bound to continue even after Flintoff has retired.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Someone like Sanath Jayasuriya is all set to take the crease for the sixth time in world cup while Flintoff has just two of them to his credit. Flintoff was not even available for the third edition of the Indian Premier League earlier this year for the same reasons. Flintoff is the only bowler whi can bowl decent fast balls and also hit the ball hard with the willow. It is very rare for the cricketing world to find fast bowlers like Shane Bond and all rounders like Andrew Flintoff. But, with their limited service to the game, their entry is of hardly and cheers whatsoever. </span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3056055881594284932.post-34874936701596911892010-09-16T09:43:00.000-07:002010-09-16T10:07:53.654-07:00Not a bad move<span style="font-family: arial;">Well finally, some decent decisions are found to be taken by the ICC regarding the mega event namely the world cup that is due to start the coming year. Whatever, the news or the decision, whatever you may call as comes into picture only on or after the 2015 world cup once again thought to be held in Australia and New Zealand. Coming to the matter, the ICC is on a decision to reduce the number of teams for the mega event from the existing 16 to 10, which obviously means showing the gates to the non test playing nations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">However, the list might not include Zimbabwe and Kenya or Ireland for, their performance in international cricket is comparatively satisfactory. Zimbabwe has a history of playing test cricket while Ireland and Kenya have shown to be no less than a test playing nation like Bangladesh or West Indies. Other teams that can be thought of to be shown the gates would be Bermuda, Scotland, Holland, Namibia to name a few though not that important. But, should this decision be criticized by anyone let alone the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.cricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/477274.html">associate countries</a><span style="font-family: arial;">? With their role being limited in the event, how do the nations ask for a change not to take place?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">If anyone would ask me, I would suggest that the presence of such teams can only ruin the excitement of the world cup nonetheless making way for unwanted politics in the mega event. Since the 1999 world cup, major teams have made it to the next level of the tournament though not deserving to be there. In the 1999 world cup, Zimbabwe made it to the super sixes at the cost of England. India lose their match to Zimbabwe by underestimating them and then South Africa lose to Zimbabwe not before confirming their place in the super sixes. As a result, India had to end their world cup campaign in the super sixes itself.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So was the case in the 2003 world cup when Sri Lanka made much of New Zealand forfeiting their group stage match to Kenya by intentionally losing (may be) to Kenya so that New Zealand faces a tough task ahead. In the 2007 world cup, though there was no room for any such politics, underestimation was at its peak with India and Pakistan paying the price for the same in their league stage match against Bangladesh and Ireland respectively. In the super eights of the same, South Africa paid the price by losing to Bangladesh by 67 runs. Are such teams required who can spoil the reputation of the tournament?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Another thing to be noticed is that due to the presence of the minnows, players can make a killing by reserving all their fortunes against these teams. One can remember that the highest team total till date in a world cup - 413 was scored by India against Bermuda in the 2007 edition. In that edition, India didn't even get past the league stage of the tournament. Glenn McGrath's 7/15 happened to be against Namibia in 2003 which cast a bad image on him despite being known for his accuracy. In that version, Sourav Ganguly scored three hundreds all of which came against non test playing nations. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This was equaled to the one scored by Mark Waugh in 1996 where he did the same against India, Kenya and New Zealand. Does the comparison justifies itself?</span>Sanathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05568995628242935696noreply@blogger.com0