The Cricket Blog-All About World Cricket

Mitchell Johnson for Zaheer Khan

2011-11-28T21:48:00.000-08:00

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 Mitchell Johnson following suit 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.

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 Johannesburg test 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.

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.

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.

Is dropping Harbhajan Singh justified?

2011-11-27T23:19:00.000-08:00

Well the news 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.

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.

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.

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.

Key players' fitness always an issue

2011-11-21T22:23:00.000-08:00

Well the latest abuzz in the world of cricket 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.

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.

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.

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.

Dravid: Toughest player to bowl

2011-07-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

Well the Indian test batsman-Rahul Dravid cites the recently concluded 2^nd 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^nd 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.

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.

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 Dravid's remarks Instead these are the pitches one of their kind when the bounce they offer can blow away anyone's helmet. 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.

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.

West Indies on improving rankings

2011-05-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

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 Internet 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.

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-Darren Sammy is to be believed 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..

Shocked!

2011-05-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

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 first test at Providence. 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.

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.

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?

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^nd test at Kingston after losing the 1^st 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^th at Basseterre but will have to wait for another tour to relish their dreams.

RCB always a cakewalk for DC

2011-05-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

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.

There were just three hits out of the ground from the RCB team 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?

Premier League disease spreads to SL

2011-05-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

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^th 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.

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.

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 SLC not only plans to do a replica of the same but also ends up kick starting one. Pakistan had one shown interest in holding such an event on its soil but may be didn't go ahead with the same citing ~~security reasons~~ hosting and venue reasons. Well, I'm afraid whether this would definitely work.

Though most of them would now be looking forward to Entertainment,travel & living 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.

Could not have been better for Kochi

2011-04-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

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.

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 yesterday.

New Zealand make their presence felt

2011-03-09T03:38:00.000-08:00

Well needless to be said, New Zealand beat Pakistan yesterday by 110 runs which was their first victory 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.

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.

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 Zealand's 92 runs off the last four overs that laid the platform for their victory. On the other hand, New Zealand's fielding was exactly the opposite of their Pakistani counterpart. There was a warning in that game against Sri Lanka 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.

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 Guptill 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. Afridi 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.

One winner and one loser theory

2011-03-08T03:03:00.000-08:00

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, yesterday there was a game between Canada and Kenya which though was of little or no importance but there was a 50 over game.

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.

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.

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.

Can Australia make it this time as well?

2011-02-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

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^th 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.

And, not only that. Ricky Ponting will be the 1^st 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.

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.

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.

Neither have they been able to win a test ~~series~~ match against India since then.

Semi finals of a world cup

2011-01-29T07:27:00.000-08:00

Well with countdown beginning for the world cup starting 19^th 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.

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. Pakistan had beaten New Zealand earlier by 7 wickets at Christchurch and England had beaten South Africa 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.

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.

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.

Hosts at a world tournament

2011-01-28T23:37:00.000-08:00

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 10 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 4 3 hosts this time, the set is complete with all 9 nations having their share.

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.

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^st 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.

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.

South Africa has to learn fro India experience

2011-01-27T20:21:00.000-08:00

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.

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^rd 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.

This has been realized earlier by Dale Steyn 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 South Africa claimed an innings win 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.

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.

The deserving and undeserving

2011-01-26T04:06:00.000-08:00

Well it was fascinating to see V V S Laxman being awarded the 4^th highest honor namely the Padma Shri award 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.

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.

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.

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.

Finally, the list holds good if statistics are excluded from discussion. But, what else does hold good to judge a player's caliber?

Has Pakistan chosen a decent squad?

2011-01-25T11:55:00.000-08:00

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.

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.

It looks like Inzamam Ul Haq is worried regarding who will captain his side with so many of them being shown the doors in the 15 member squad. 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.

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^st stage of the tournament, they will be failing to do so for the 3^rd 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.

Unbelievable!

2011-01-24T05:27:00.000-08:00

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.

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.

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 India and Australia at Hyderabad 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.

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 highest wicket taker in the series but rather comes in the 2^nd place with 12 scalps after Tsotsobe who had 13 of them against his name. Likewise, Hashim Amla topped the charts for the highest run getter 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.

John Wright has to worry

2011-01-21T04:40:00.000-08:00

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.

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 4 losses against Bangladesh in a span of 13 days between 5^th October 2010 and 17^th October 2010.

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.

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 this.

Centuries - Now and then!

2011-01-17T03:56:00.000-08:00

Well recently, I came across Sachin Tendulkar's 50^th 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^th 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^th place behind Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Kallis.

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.

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.

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^th 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.

How could this happen!

2011-01-16T08:17:00.000-08:00

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?

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.

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.

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.

Down Down New Zealand

2010-12-07T04:47:00.000-08:00

Well if one can go through cricinfo's latest article, 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^th 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.

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.

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.

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.

Vettori's dream for his team

2010-09-18T09:22:00.000-07:00

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 Daniel Vettori happy atleast in his dreams. 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.

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.

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^nd and the 3^rd 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^nd and the 3^rd 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^nd worst defeat in the 2007 world cup after Bermuda's 257 run loss to India.

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.

Crap this allrounder!!!

2010-09-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

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 Andrew Flintoff following suit, 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.

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.

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.

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.

Not a bad move

2010-09-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

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.

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 associate countries? With their role being limited in the event, how do the nations ask for a change not to take place?

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.

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?

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.

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?

Deserves to be slammed!

2010-09-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

Slamming comes by default when the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) lets go even freak chances of not getting into the record books for the wrong reasons when the same was found to exclude the name of Ramnaresh Sarwan from the list of contracted players. The WICB may have a number of reasons to justify its act but, people have the right to decide whether to believe the same or not. Likewise, the problem is not only regarding Ramnaresh Sarwan but fellow players like Jerome Taylor and Denesh Ramdin have also been made to follow suit no matter what. Did the WICB do all these just to come into light or what?

Needless to be said, there are two ways wherein one can come into light, one for the right reasons and the other (once again needless to be said) for the wrong ones. All doors have been closed for the West Indies decade back which can see them make into the news for the right reasons with the retirement of fellow players like Ambrose, Walsh and Bishop. This got only worse with the likes of Carlo Hooper and Brian Lara following suit after 4 and 8 years respectively. So, the only way the WICB can make news is by getting into some crazy act.

And the WICB have done just that. Drop important players like Sarwan, Jerome Taylor and Denesh Ramdin which can surely draw in a lot of attention from all over the West Indies if not from the world. Until now, players have been denied a place in the squad only owing to their lack of performance or form. But, if the decisions of the WICB are considered, it looks as though the WICB wants to be as creative as it can. As a follower of the game of cricket, I don't see anything right in denying contract to someone like Ramnaresh Sarwan who can of not anything else reduce the margin of defeat.

Hardly does a struggling team like the West Indies get a dynamic and an enthusiastic wicket keeper in Denesh Ramdin, only to be denied contract by the WICB, the reason once against which is best known to the governing body in the West Indies. If the other side of the coin is considered, there are hardly any major cricket tournaments involving the West Indies that are due to come in the near future which at the same time also means that the West Indies need to pay the least possible price for their act. And, by the time the big stage occurs, the aforementioned players might be returned their contract.

A big blow to the Ind-Aus series

2010-08-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

Well it was the Sydney test in late 2007 that evoked the world's attention and bought into scene the umpire referral system wherein a captain can object to the on field umpires and force three of the many wrong decisions to the third umpire in case they are not convinced with the onfield umpires' decision. That particular test at Sydney had a record eight wrong decisions which was finally condemned by one and all. I still remember Sunil Gavaskar shouting at the onfield umpires Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor as though he was an avid Indian cricket fan sitting out there.

Following this debacle, one fine day, the umpire referral system was suggested by a brain which happened to exist but with limited success. I personally feel that the UDRS should have been bought into existence long back with every human being aware of the fact that people make errors and umpires are no exception. The world had to wait for the Sydney test to happen and Australia snatching their 16th consecutive test win in a grand style which will always be remembered for the wrong reasons as long as the earth exists. Well, everything is fair in love and war.

Australians can plead innocence with one out of the eight decisions going in favor of the Indians though the remaining 7 happened to be cashed out by the Aussies. Mark Benson and Steve Bucknor were found batting for Australia without bats while the Australian captain Ricky Ponting was found to do the role of an umpire when he declared Sourav Ganguly out caught. To be part of such a test match is indeed a glory for anyone both as a spectator and as a player. Now, in the same India - Australia series, the UDRS is rumored to be scrapped off.

Will the Australians once again make hay in this time's sunshine? Now, Australia are not chasing any major record like they were chasing their 16th test win at Sydney. In case Sachin Tendulkar fails to make it to the squad, there would be no reason for Australia to act stupid for, a victory is all the most guaranteed. However, had this been a test series, the implication of the scrapping of the UDRS would have had a serious impact on the dignity of the game and Aussies in particular. Oh! This time, the series is held in India and not in Australia for the Aussies to act cunning.

Mitchell Johnson too much worried about India

2010-08-28T09:48:00.000-07:00

Well for the past two times in 2007 and 2009, Australia have managed to take home the 7 match one day series in India and against India. That was the time in 2007 when the Australian team, though fresh from its bad memories of losing to India in the semi finals for the world T20 at South Africa, were well fresh from their world cup win early that year. Australia were able to cross the 300 run mark on four occasions out of which one went in vain when in the 1st one dayer at Bangalore Australia scored 316 runs powered by Michael Clarke's 130 only to be washed away by rain.

In that edition of the bilateral series, Australia scored a 4-2 win, with India winning two matches out of fluke and not by hardwork as suggested by the scorecard where in the first match India won by 8 runs and the other one by 2 wickets chasing a mere total of 193 on the board. the case was a lot better in last year's series where India though managed just two wins never were let down by giving the Aussies a run for their money. India managed to cross the 300 run mark on two occasions and on one occasion came close to chasing down 351 empowered by Sachin Tendulkar's 172 which saw India fall short by 3 runs.

In that match, Sachin Tendulkar made news for scoring the maximum number of 150+ scores in ODIs jointly with Sanath Jayasurya. That was Sachin Tendulkar's second score above 170 which was till then enjoyed by only Vivian Richards. The series saw contributions from Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh along with Sachin and Sehwag. Team work was evident like never before in team India. But still, that was not enough for India fell short by 2 matches to take home the series. Now, team India once again is bound to face Australia like last year but without Sachin Tendulkar which has to be thought about seriously.

And, with so many drawbacks in team India, Mitchell Johnson's idea to strike India with the SG cricket ball is foolish. He could not hurt the already dead Pakistan with his fast moving deliveries despite Pakistan being desperate to lose. So was the case in the bilateral series involving England which Australia lost by a 2-3 margin. Now, with Australia's chances being high in the series against India, is Mitchell Johnson trying to make room for himself and take credit for something not happening because of him? Well, India is now short of bowlers and batsmen are in the que to take honors Mitchell!

Struggling batsman but not struggling captain

2010-08-27T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well the present England captain Andrew Strauss along with Kevin Pietersen have not been up to the mark as far as their series against Pakistan was concerned. It would be a bad idea to go into the details of both the batsmen's batting charts in the past few months with England having played Bangladesh twice prior to the present ongoing series against Pakistan. It need not be cited specially that a series or a match against a team like Bangladesh would hardly evoke any sort of interest among senior batsmen of the likes mentioned above. So would be the case involving West Indies.

A bad performance against a team like Bangladesh need not be due to lack of form or fitness but, it could also be owing to the lack of interest in facing a weak opposition like Bangladesh. Still, if the past one year or so is concerned for England, they have had series wins against Australia in the Ashes last year which is more than anything else. England have beaten Australia last year in the Ashes and this year in the finals of the world T20 held in the West Indies. These two triumphs go unparalleled. This happened in the presence of Andrew Strauss not to mention.

And coming to the test matches involving Pakistan, the scorecard suggests that the venues for the three matches that have taken place have been bowler friendly ones which is evident from the fact that Pakistan were bowled out for a score less than 100 on two occasions and that too consecutive ones. And for Strauss not to perform should not be taken too far for someone to justify their decision like the England coach - Gooch is found defending the inclusion of Strauss and Pietersen. Pietersen on the other hand has also been found doing a fab job for his team may be not in the recent past.

Whatsoever, Andrew Strauss has been a decent captain with wins against all major cricketing nations since he took over as the captain early last year for the series against West Indies. It should matter for as far as Strauss does a fab job as a captain, his performance as a batsman should not come under scrutiny. There can be other players who can step into the shoes of Strauss as a batsman but not as a captain. So would be the case with Kevin Pietersen who has a hard hitting ability which was evident in the world T20 and the IPL the preceded the same.

Loopholes in SRT's cricketing life

2010-08-24T06:47:00.000-07:00

Well hardly anyone of you would like to read something bad about the world's best batsmen in the first two formats of the game of cricket. But, if anyone wants to come across a batsman who has absolutely no loopholes at all, there has to be only a dream as such. And, Sachin Tendulkar is no exception when it comes to the world of loopholes. Even this great batsman possess few loopholes and ones that can hardly be forgiven. The first thing that can be pointed out would be that he holds the record for being one of the worst captains of India ever.

The only two trophies that Sachin Tendulkar has been able to achieve in his one year long international career as a captain is the titan cup in 1996 which India won over South Africa, not before losing 3 matches to the same in the league stages of the tournament. And then, there was a bilateral series win over Pakistan in 1997 which India won by a maregin 4-1. In his 20 year long international career in cricket, Sachin Tendulkar could not hold the captain's tag for more than a year or so. Of course, Anil Kumble also enjoyed the tag only for a year but for the wrong reasons.

Anil Kumble was under estimated by the selection and was forced to hand over one to Kumble when Ganguly retired and Dravid also followed suit when he retired from captaincy. And then, as mentioned above, Sachin Tendulkar was no longer eligible for the job and there was no other player in the team but Kumble to take the honors. Adding to this debacle, Sachin Tendulkar can never be forgiven for throwing away his wicket so cheaply in the finals of the world cup in 2003 held at South Africa. Sachin Tendulkar got out the fifth ball giving a cheap catch to Glenn McGrath.

Sachin Tendulkar's wicket was the most awaited wicket in the finals and Sachin throwing it away so cheaply speaks about the batsman's caliber in tough times though many a times he has proved to be otherwise. So was the case in the match played at Chennai where Saeed Anwar scored 194 in the Independence cup 1997 where once again Sachin Tendulkar returned back after scoring a boundary. Sachin Tendulkar has failed to score a triple hundred in tests though he has scored a double hundred in one dayers. Well, let me stop here before you guys curse me for I can read your curses as well.

Inspired By Sehwag

2010-08-23T05:13:00.000-07:00

So far, if not for greats like Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan, there have hardly been any followers for any of the existing players in international cricket. In fact, players like Dhoni and Sehwag have been inspired from Sachin Tendulkar to make it to the big stage. One has to ask Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara or Muttiah Muralitharan as to who or what on earth inspired them to take cricket as a career. Of course, though money factor exists in today's cricket, that was not the case some decade ago when Muttiah Muralitharan and Sachin Tendulkar were in their initial stages of their career.

Today's cricketers are more inspired by money and fame rather than the game or the challenges that come from within. Anyways, coming to the matter, a New Zealand cricketer Peter Ingram has said that it was after watching India's dashing opener Virender Sehwag that made him take the bat in his hands. The influence of Virender Sehwag on Ingram is to such an extent that though Peter Ingram has been repeated criticism for his lack of footwork, Ingram terms it to be the replica of his so called idol Virender Sehwag's style. If one goes by nature, their dates of birth differ by just 5 days.

At the same time, if their success in international cricket is considered, they stand way apart. Sehwag has gone too forward with two triple hundreds and six double centuries against his name in international test cricket which is bettered by only Sir Don Bradman, Walter Hammond and Brian Lara. Not even Sachin Tendulkar (Sehwag's batting idol) has been able to achieve the same in test cricket. It has been equaled by Pakistan's Javed Miandad and Sri Lanka's Marvan Attapattu, both of whom have 6 double hundreds against their names. However, this has to be justified if at all one has to believe that Sehwag is Ingram's batting idol.

Idols have to always stand apart from their followers in any field or else, who on earth would follow them? Likewise, cricketing greats like Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd and Ian Botham have been an inspiration to batting youngsters after their retirement and so has been the case with bowlers like Shaun Pollock and Glenn McGrath. They were an inspiration after their team started making news for the good reasons. Likewise, someone like Andrew Flintoff and Craig McDermott could not be an inspiration though deserving to be so. Jonty Rhodes has hardly inspired anyone to take fielding as a career option.

A soft target for Bangalore

2010-04-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well as long as there are teams like the Rajasthan Royals, teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore have hardly any sort of problem. Can anyone of you imagine a total of just 130 in a T20 game and that too by a team that involves a batsman who has set the record for scoring the fastest hundred in the IPL? Can anyone of you imagine a team to have 4 wickets in hand at the end of their 20^th over and yet end up scoring just over six runs an over? Yes, that is the Rajasthan Royals for you. The team which won 11 out of the 14 games scheduled and the title a couple of years back.

The eitire innings of the Rajasthan Royals had only one hit out of the stands when Abhishek Raut hit the lone six of the innings. Coincidentally, he was also the top scorer of the match when he score an unbeaten 32 runs to push the run rate past 6 an over. All the Royal Challengers Bangalore required was just 5 bowlers all of whom bowled their full quota of 4 overs each. This can happen only when the opposition batsmen offer no resistance and challenge as well. If not for Anil Kumble, all other bowlers returned with wickets against their names.

However, this doesn't matter much for cricket is a team game unlike badminton or tennis that is played between two individuals. Luckily, there was also an over maiden which belonged to Pankaj Singh. Overs rarely go maiden as far as a T20 game is concerned. However, one cannot blame it completely on the Rajasthan Royals' batsmen for their debacle, for even the Royal Challengers Bangalore followed a callous approach when they lost 5 wickets enroute to their successful run chase of 131 runs. Nevermind that the Bangalore team reached the winning run in just over 15 overs, but it is the approach which makes the difference.

It is such games that come crucial in terms of a tie breaker when two or more teams end up with equal number of points. One fascinating thing about the Rajasthan Royals bowlers was that they never bowled an extra delivery for an innings that lasted close to a hundred deliveries long. Even the Rajasthan Royals followed their opposition when even they like their opposition never handed the ball to a sixth bowler with 3 of the 5 bowlers set to bowl their complete quota of 4 overs. Yousuf Pathan would have come in handy in such cases and Adam Voges being given another chance would not have proved costly.

At the end of the day, there was a bad match for cricket fans who want some decent action from the batsmen especially.

KKR never bound to improve

2010-03-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well if one goes through yesterday's match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Mumbai Indians, once again the Kolkata Knight Riders were sen getting to their old tactics when they retained as many as 7 wickets by the end of the 20th over yet again putting up a modest total of just over 150 on the board. None of the three batsmen who made it to the crease had their strike rates more than even 140 when a strike rate of 150 is said to be ideal in the T20 match. The KKR innings was more or less like a test innings where wickets are kept intact.

No matter that all three batsmen from the Kolkata Knight Riders namely Chris Gayle, SouravGanguly and Owais Shah came up with decent scores when they scored 75 and 31 each. But, what is the use of the same when that could hardly guarantee them a face in the match let alone a victory. They had to be specially reminded that they were facing a team that is at present positioned at the top of the points table. Nothing special could have been expected from SouravGanguly and Owais Shah taking into account their hard hitting capabilities. But, Gayle is known for his hard hitting abilities.

Chris Gayle was the first batsman in the history of the T20 game to have scored a century when he belted the South African bowlers for a 57 ball 117 in the first match of the inaugural T20 world cup held at South Africa. But, the way he was found batting in the game against the Mumbai Indians once again showed the pressure which he was supposed to be having that was imposed by his team and not by the opposition. If this is the way the KKR are found playing repeatedly, it shows what the coaches are upto. When an ordinary cricket enthusiast like me can find the drawback the KKR are facing, it is confusing why the coach has not been able to do?

On the otherhand, even the Mumbai Indians lost not more than 3 wickets like the KKR to overtake the total of 155 to win. More than the effort by the Mumbai team on the field, it was their game planning which saw them victorious at the end of the day. They were well aware of the team strategy of the KKR that they would not get into a good score despite having so many wickets in hand. This was evident when Sachin Tendulkar bought in just 5 bowlers who bowled their complete quota of 4 overs each. No matter if they couldn't get wickets but were successful in restricting the opposition to a below par total.

The way the RCB's IPL campaign starts

2010-03-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

Well despite the fact that yesterday the Royal Challengers lost their first match of the tournament to the Kolkata Knight Riders, this need not draw any sort of criticism be it from the fans, the owner or even the coach f the RCB- Ray Jennings. This has been the usual way the Royal Challengers kick start their IPL campaign by losing the very first encounter rather miserably be it against any opposition. This time as well, the result was no different when the RCB lost to the KKR who were positioned last on the points table in the previous edition held at South Africa.

It was to the same Kolkata Knight Riders that the Royal Challengers Bangalore lost miserably in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League a couple of years back. That was the match where Brendon McCullum scored the highest individual score of 158* aiding his team to a total of 223 on the board. And, the Royal Challengers had absolutely no answer to McCullum's blasting shots. They gave up the match the moment a total in excess of 200 was put up on the board. The RCBs lost all their 10 wickets for a score of 82 runs on the board, which were 76 runs short of what McCullum could manage.

The only reason for the Royal Challengers to feel happy was that they did not lose all their 10 wickets despite being unable to challenge the Kolkata Knight Riders' bowlers. The RCBs put up a run rate in excess of 6 an over which at one stage of the match seemed a tough task. The RCBs made the KKR batsmen to come close to the ultimate over to score the winning runs. This can bring up the statement that "had the RCBs put up an additional 20 runs on the board, they could have well won the match" no matter to what extent the statement holds good.

Whatever happens, Jacques Kallis can never let his team down and this time as well he has done the same when he carried his bat throughout the innings despite wickets falling from the other end. At the same time, one cannot dispute the fact that the Kolkata Knight Riders were playing in the Eden Gardens wherein they are guaranteed the home advantage. This time, fortunately for the Royal Challengers, Brendon McCullum was not present in the KKR squad to remind the RCBs of the nightmare he had inflicted on them a couple of years back. Anil Kumble once again came back to his test playing days when he bowled 4 overs by not taking a wicket but still not even going in for runs as well.

Just one man extra

2010-03-14T05:01:00.000-07:00

Well as the game of the T20 cricket goes, just one solid batsman is more than enough for the opposition to start thinking what to do next. And, this time it was Yousuf Pathan who did the job for Mumbai Indians (the job of evoking panic among the Mumbai Indians). Everything was going on smoothly until Yousuf Pathan stepped in and tried to do a ~~Virender Sehwag~~ Shahid Afridi when he scored the fastest hundred in ~~ODIs~~ the Indian Premier League by consuming the same number of balls as that of Shahid Afridi in ODIs. Unfortunately, Pathan couldn't do what Afridi could do when he scored the world's fastest hundred.

It was a team effort from the Mumbai Indians' part wherein, as many as 6 batsmen who took to the crease scored double digit scores and all of them had their strike rates above hundred with only two of them ending upo scoring at a strike of less than 150. There were 7 bowlers from the Rajasthan Royals side who tried to stop the team work of Sachin Tendulkar's men which was finally valiant. A score of 200+ on the board could not be stopped from scoring despite the efforts of Shane Warne and Shaun Tait who were the only well set bowlers from the Rajasthan Royals' side.

Rajasthan Royals never ever deserved to win despite the top class batting of Yousuf Pathan for the sole reason that cricket is a team sport and not an individual's game like table tennis and badminton for just one player to outplay the other. If Yousuf Pathan's score of 100 is deducted, the score from the remaining 8 batsmen from the Rajasthan Royals' side including the extras comes up to be 108 runs from 13.5 overs. Yousuf Pathan's score of 100 was close to 50% of the team total excluding the extras which accounted for just 5 runs. It was a mistake from Shane Warne when he bought on Amit Uniyal when Shaun Tait could have done a better job with the bat.

Had there been one man in addition to Yousuf Pathan, Rajasthan Royals would have made the match as theirs. Though there was Paras Dogra who scored 41 runs that was bettered by only Yousuf Pathan, the players who followed Pathan's dismissal could not support him from the other end and under pressure, Dogra had to sacrifice his wicket by getting out in the same fashion as Yousuf Pathan. One thing that can be noticed from the scorecard is that the two batsmen who had taken the Mumbai bowlers' for a run could not be claimed by any bowler and had to make a mistake on their own which saw them get out. But, a team effort always pays which is once again evident from the Mumbai Indians.

A surprise on the first day itself

2010-03-13T23:11:00.000-08:00

Well hardly anyone would have expected the team that finished last in the previous years' edition of the Indian Premier League to beat the team that won the championship the same year. Things started the same way as expected for the Kolkata Knight Riders when they lost 2 wickets even before the scoreboard had something to read. It was fascinating to see the first two wickets falling when the score was zero and the next two wickets falling when the score was 31. And, what happened following that is well aware from the scoreboard itself which is needless to be said I suppose.

The Kolkata Knight Riders did exceptionally well to see their team go past 150 runs when at one stage even a 100 on the board would have made the players of the Kolkata Knight Riders feel satisfied for the fact that atleast they can bowl 10 overs to the Deccan Chargers who had the likes of Gilchrist and Symonds in their ranks. The run rate when the fourth wicket fell was just above 6 an over which eventually happened to be over 8.0 an over. All thanks to the two men out there namely- Owais Shah and Angelo Mathews who put up an unbeaten 131 run partnership.

Angelo Mathews was found to be a failure in the bilateral series between Sri Lanka and India which was played a couple of months back. But, this time he was the man who ensured a turnaround to his team which not only won the game but also Mathews was awarded the man of the match. It is nonetheless another case of underestimating the opposition from the Deccan Chargers who had anticipated a win against the Kolkata Knight Riders even before the match had begun. And, finally they had to pay the price for the same. A close look at the KKR squad doesn't reveal any strong batting names.

The only batsmen who can be thought of to have a huge fan following them were Sourav Ganguly and Brad Hodge, both of whom departed at early stages of their innings. Following them were Pujara who did what was expected off him when he went back runless. On the other hand, the Deccan Chargers had the likes of Gilchrist, Rohith Sharma, Symonds and Gibbs, all of whom were thought to be big hitters. Likewise, only Gilchrist & Symonds would have been enough for any opposition which didn't happen in the 1st match. So was the case with the KKR's bowling which had no decent names if not for Ishanth and Langeveldt and that too compared to the other bowlers of KKR.

And, the Deccan Chargers had Symonds, Vass and Ojha who have played international matches before but could not bail their team out yesterday. THis is the magic of T20 cricket and more so in the IPL.

Something similar between Lara & Sachin

2010-02-25T09:21:00.000-08:00

It is not an undisputed fact that Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar are the finest of all batsmen of their era. The decade has seen batsmen like Inzamam Ul Haq who could pull his team out from the jaws of defeat in the semi finals of the 1992 world cup which Pakistan eventually won. Then there is Shahid Afridi, who claims that his favourite shot is "anywhere for six" and holds the record for the fastest hundred in ODIs and then there is Jayasuriya who holds the record for the maximum number of sixes in one day cricket. Otherwise also we have gr8 batsmen like Ponting, Gilchrist, Symonds etc who have been exceptional with the willow.

However, the world of cricket, if the last 15 years or so are considered, the only batsmen who have been enjoying a huge fan following are only two- Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. No one would dare to rate any other batsmen among these two greats and so would I. A Sachin fan can justify himself with most of the batting records in both formats of the game belonging to him. But, as far as Brian Lara is considered, if not for the unbeaten score of 400 against England, none of the records really belong to him in either formats of the game.

If Lara is given a little bit of concession, he held the world record for the highest number of runs in international test cricket until it was broke by none other than Sachin Tendulkar. Lara stands fifth when it comes to the number of 100s scored behind Sachin, Jayasuriya, Ponting & Ganguly. Lara's place when it comes to the highest run aggregate would be behind Dravid, Ganguly, Inzy, Jayasuriya and of course Sachin. But, there was one thing that struck my mind when Sachin scored an unbeaten 200 yesterday against South Africa.This was Sachin's 2nd score over 180 which is in par with two 350+ scores of Lara in tests.

It was somewhere in October 2003 that Australia's Mathew Hayden scored 380 runs against Zimbabwe to break the old record of 375 put up by Lara against England in 1994. Exactly six months later, Brian Lara notched up the first quadruple hundred in test cricket that broke Mathew Hayden's record and also was a new landmark in tests. Similarly, in ODIs, in August 2009, Charles Coventry scored an unbeaten 194 against Bangladesh which broke Saeed Anwar's record of the same score without the asterik symbol following it. And exactly after the same duration of 6 months, Sachin scores 200* which also put up a new landmark but in ODIs. Moreover, both Lara & Sachin use bats that are sponsored by MRF.

Why not something different in IPL III?

2010-02-16T04:19:00.000-08:00

Well the third edition of the Indian Premier League is about to start and in the next month by this time, it would have already been four days past since the tournament would have begun. However, as usual this time also all eyes are set on the IPL and the excitement is never bound to decline atleast in a couple of years from now onwards. But, what would be the fun without any new aspect in the tournament that cricket fans would be looking to from the start of every year. New year atleast in India since 2008 is not celebrated on 1st of January like in most of the nations but is celebrated on the day the first match of the IPL kicks in.

All this considering that IPL happens every year. On the first day of every new year, the count down for the IPL of that particular year begins. Since 2008-the year the first edition of the IPL was launched, the nature of the tournament is the same even in its 3rd edition as well. It is the same eight teams from India that competite for the championship title and also some mind blowing cash awards. Like in the 1st edition, all the teams play each other twice and that is followed by 2 semi finals and a final that is obvious with every series.

If the mega tournament conducted by the ICC viz the ICC world cup, the T20 championship and the ICC Champions trophy is considered, there as been a regular revision in the format of the tournament after every edition. Until 1983, it was the Prudential world cup played only at England and then in 1987 the Asian continent was given a chance to host. Then, color dresses were introduced since the 1992 world and then came the introduction of non test playing nations and the concept of quarter finals in the Wills world cup 1996. The 1999 & 2003 world cups had super sixes so that no team crashes out due to lack of fortune in the only team it faces.

In 2003 WC, there was a slight change from the 1999 edition, wherein points from victories against non qualifying teams would be carried over to the next stage i.e the super sixes. In the 2007 world cup, there were four groups with 4 teams each and 2 from each would qualify to the super eights so that no team crashes out due to lack of fortune. So has been the cases with the ICC Champions trophy which started as a knock out tournament and a 2nd chance is being given in today's versions. But, this has not been the case with the IPL. Some changes that I would suggest are that there be three finals so that a team gets optimum chance to win the title. There be not more than 2 games played per day so that one get to see all the games. And finallyintroduction of a couple of more teams would be just ideal.

Bangladesh a busy outfit

2010-02-03T06:26:00.000-08:00

Well Bangladesh may not have been successful in drawing crowds to the stadium. Nor they might have been able to make betters have their say atleast as of now. Last but not the least, Bangladesh are one such team to have made life easy for teams who reserve all their experimentation to the matches against Bangladesh. One has to really pity the Bangladesh for this. None of the Bangladeshi players have been chosen for the third edition of the Indian Premier League atleast as far as my knowledge goes. I've heard somewhere that Bangladeshi players were in for an IPL bid and have not been able to keep a focus on that.

However, Bangladesh are one such team to have had a busy schedule in the early parts of 2010 whatsoever. It has not even been a week since the second test between India and Bangladesh got over with India as usual beating the hosts 2-0 in the two match test series. Now, they are scheduled to play their first and only T20 match on their tour to New Zealand. This would be followed by their 3 one day internationals starting on February 5^th at Napier. Following that would be the only test match against the same at Hamilton on 15^th of this month.

This would be for the month of February. After their tour of New Zealand, they'd be facing England for two test match series that would be followed by 3 one day matches and of course a T20 game to wind up their tour. However, if the ICC tour's table is given a close look at, Bangladesh will be the only team to have completed three of their full fledged tours in the first three months of the year. Of course, there has been Australia who would have played games against Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand. But, none of them can be considered as full fledged tours.

The tour of Pakistan to Australia started in December last year, which will get over on Friday after the only T20 game gets under way. Then, West Indies' tour to Australia started in December, where West Indies played three tests. And, there is India who'll be playing South Africa who'll be in India for 2 test matches followed by three one dayers, before the IPL starts. But, that is not the case with Bangladesh. When most of the teams would be playing for the cash rich IPL, we can see Bangladesh cooling their heels on their international commitments. Anyway, the move can be justified, for, hardly the presence of Bangladeshi players would make any difference to IPL.

Why Does ICC Want To Finish Off U-19 WC in a hurry

2010-01-14T22:36:00.000-08:00

Well the seventh under 19 world cup is on its way with as many as four matches namely-West Indies vs Pakistan, India vs Afghanistan, Ireland vs South Africa and last but not the least Canada vs Zimbabwe about to make a start on the first day itself. One has to really wonder as to why does the ICC want to finish off the mega event in a span of just 15 days, with four matches scheduled everyday and obviously at four different venues. The final of the tournament is scheduled on the 30th of this month, with as many as 40+ matches to be held inbetween.

It is really fascinating to see some new teams like Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Afghanistan and United States of America (USA)who are yet to make it to the senior world cup that is held once in four years making a mark in the U-19 world cup. United States and Hong Kong have made it to the international arena previously as well, the former in the ICC Champions Trophy 2004 and the latter in the two editions of the Asia Cup in 2004 and 2008. Though there are hardly any takers for the matches involving the aforementioned teams, one fine day, they can be considered to take the game of cricket forward.

Is it because there are no takers for these matches that the ICC is scheduling these games in such a tight schedule or is it because that the ICC wants the U-19 players concentrate on some other issues may be outside the cricket world. The major world cup the is held once in four years spans over two months, with the players from all the major cricketing nations having a year round schedule excluding their domestic tournaments and the IPLs. Even the lesser events like the ICC Champions trophy and ICC world T20 that are held once in every 2 years spans slightly more than 15 days.

Whatever be the case, there is no cricket tournament that hosts four matches daily. The maximum that has been hosted in a single day is three, with one game involving only minnows. It is just not understandable as to why 4 matches are held simultaneously. Is it the lack of viewers who watch these games? T20 world cup hosts 2 matches daily unlike 4 in U-19 WC. I wonder as to how come the TV channels who have bagged the telecast rights of these matches can show the viewers the match of their interest. Can anyone of you readers of this blog give me an answer for "What other commitments do these U-19 players have other than this U-19 WC?".

With so much loop holes that the ICC is not bothered about despite things being clear, it looks that the ICC just wants to finish off the U-19 world cup as a formality than ancourage the yourgsters take to the game of cricket.

A Lot Of Conclusions On Kotla

2009-12-30T01:15:00.000-08:00

Well after the fifth and final one day match between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned owing to bad ~~weather~~ ~~light~~ pitch, not only have the cricket fans reacted but also the cricket board committee regarding the future of the stadium. The conclusion has that far effect that the ICC is considering about revising the plan whether to host the world cup matches in 2011 or not. I bet the ICC would not have even come to such a conclusion regarding canceling the matches that were to be held in Pakistan in such a hurry. It was only after the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team that the ICC finalized its decision on hosting the world cup matches in Pakistan.

Earlier to that, teams namely Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa backed out from traveling to Pakistan owing security reasons that was quite obvious and natural. Even that couldn't shake the ICC from canceling games to be held in Pakistan until the March 1^st incident happened at Lahore. Neither did the ICC cancel matches that were scheduled in Sri Lanka when there were fears of LTTE attacks. But, it has been less than a week since the Kotla one dayer was cancelled and ICC starts doubting the matches that are scheduled in Delhi though the ICC has not yet come to a decision regarding the scheduling.

On the other hand, the BCCI was found to take a quick decision on the chairman of the grounds and pitches committee- Daljith Singh, who also accepted not to have gone in for trials whatsoever. All things coming to light only after the damage has already been done. Moreover, we hear that the ICC has slammed the Kotla pitch in November during inspection related to the world cup 2011. Finally, when it was termed all over last Sunday when the referees came out saying that the pitch lacked bounce and was not suitable for international cricket, everything from the past is highlighted.

One has to really wonder as to how come the match lasted for 23.3 overs, meaning almost half the Sri Lankan innings was done with before the play was called off. I remember the Antigua test between England and West Indies earlier this year that was called off owing to a similar pitch related issue that lasted just 10 balls before sand started erupting from the bowling crease. One had to wait till Tilekeratne Dilshan encountered a blow on his fingers to stop the play and call the pitch dangerous. With such slowness evident, the pace lies where it shouldn't, when decisions started wagging with regards to a tournament that would be held almost after a year and a half from now.

Is This The New Era of Cricket?

2009-12-27T21:40:00.000-08:00

Well yesterday's match between India and Sri Lanka, which was forced to be terminated after playing just 23.3 overs with Sri Lanka on 83/5 was the second of its kind in 2009 alone. The first one beaing the one between the West Indies and England early this year, somewhere in February 2009 at Antigua when the second test was forced to be called off after the outfield was termed a risk for bowlers. The match was called after just 10 deliveries were bowled and the England scoreboard reading 7-0 after 1.4 overs. However, this match was compensated by adding another test by making the 4 match series a 5 match series.

And the final one dayer between India and Sri Lanka has not been compensated. Is this because the result of the series was well in front of us after India won the fourth one day match at Kolkata? Whatever, it is not the question of compensation be it to the fans who had come to watch the match by going through all sorts of struggle to get tickets or the series which had to be reduced to a 4 match series that was previously a 5 match one. But, the question in front of us is what next? What if such negligence in preparing pitches continue?

This can just be called an initial start. There was hardly any such thing observed in the past be it anywhere in the world. There have been matches abandoned by rain, bad light, bad weather and at last bad crowd. But, these days bad pitches are also found playing a spoilsport. One just cannot imagine to what extent can this go upto. There was a similar hint in the fourth one day match held at the Eden Gardens-Kolkata when the lights went off with the last three balls of Sri Lankan innings still to go. Luckily, no such unexpected things took place.

Had the fourth one day match at Kolkata also been cancelled owing to bad light, it would have been wonderful. For, it could have been a 3 match series with India still winning 2-1. That can be the perfect result for a bilateral series involving three matches. It is still not known as to who is to be blamed for such a debacle of the pitch! Should the curators be indeed held responsible for this act or was it just a mistake on their part or was this unexpected by them as well is still not known. But, one thing is for sure. This is one way for the curators of the pitch to make news. Or else, who would be interested in knowing who prepared the pitch?

Who Can Stop Sri Lanka from losing?

2009-12-25T21:24:00.000-08:00

The fact that a team that could contain top rated batsmen like Sachin Tendulkar and VirenderSehwag could not continue the same when it comes to a 28 year old Gautam Gambhir and ViratKohli who a couple of years ago was seen lifting the under-19 world cup can make people laugh and nothing else. A couple of days ago, I happened to read in cricinfo regarding the chances that Sri Lanka can draw out of the injuries haunting Indian players-Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni in particular. And the result of all is that Sri Lanka have had their worst defeat so far in this tournament.

It is just disgusting to see someone like Ravindra Jadeja & Virat Kohli tearing apart the SriLankan bowling that included the likes of Lasith Malinga and co in the initial stages of their cricketing career. Added to that is Dinesh Karthik whose presence is felt only in the absence of the regular wicket keeper in Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Still, even he is able to make a mark against Sri Lanka. The lone six in the Indian innings came from the bats off Virat Kohli though it was Gautam Gambhir's 150 that sealed Sri Lanka's chances of being alive in the series.

Added to this was the 16 wides the Sri Lankan bowlers bowled as compared to 10 by the Indians. I just couldn't resist closing my eyes when the replays of Sri Lankan batsmen TissaraPerera hitting the ball straight in the air and nowhere when it came to the distance were shown repeatedly. That was the time when Perera was in full form and a responsible decision would have seen Sri Lanka piling up a more 20 runs. Neither did Sri Lanka lose wickets at regular intervals nor did they end their innings with a partly total like they have been doing in their previous matches.

It is not an unknown fact that in the last 5 years or so, a total of 300+ is not considered safe for any team. But, until yesterday, this was opposed atleast by the Eden Gardens where stats suggest that the highest run chase so far has been 293 by Pakistan once again against India in 2004. For the second time and fortunately in this year and against the very same Sri Lanka, Gautam Gambhir has scored exactly 150, the only difference being that this time he was unbeaten. The previous time Gambhir was found doing this was in February 2009 at Colombo that saw India taking the lead to 4-0 in the 5 match series. Next time, India can play their under-17 team to both beat Sri Lanka as well as get some match practice.

The Only Way Benn Can Make News

2009-12-18T04:46:00.000-08:00

The headlines today has its say that the West Indian ~~batsman~~ ~~bowler~~ player if not anything else has been handed over a 2 match ODI ban for reasons none other than being involved with an ugly spat with the Australian players Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin during the third test match between Australia and West Indies at Perth on Thursday. On the other side, Australia's Mitchell Johnson and Brad Haddin have been let off just with a petty fine I suppose. Reasons for this sort of biased treatment regarding the Aussies is not something new for the world of cricket.

However, coming to Sulieman Benn's case, one can just say that this is an act of publicity by the West Indian player. Or else, why should anyone target a West Indian player who despite being 28 years of age has played just 11 test matches and an equal number of one day internationals that is followed by 10 T20 games? The incident just reminds me of Vinod kambli who after being almost absent for almost a decade one fine day comes in front of the world just to say that it was his old team mate Sachin Tendulkar who was responsible for the debacle of his cricketing career.

The man under discussion is just a year and a half old when his international cricket career is taken into consideration. The man is yet to hit a six in international T20 cricket and has already made news for getting banned for 2 ODIs against Australia for sledging. All that his career can highlight is the 5 wicket haul he has been able to achieve against Australia in the second test in the ongoing series between the same two countries. This coming almost a year and a half after making his international test debut against Sri Lanka in March 2008 at Providence.

Not only Sulieman Benn but the entire West Indies team needs to maintain a lot of discipline taking into consideration their caliber and the position in test cricket they are placed not only in today's rating but also considering their test rating since the last decade or so. Of course, no one is expected to display such a sort of behaviour on the field in front of a million spectators on TV as well as in the stadium. However, someone like Steve Waugh, Glenn McGrath or Adam Gilchrist can be given a pass for such an act but not someone who is just a learner of cricket still in the initial stages of his career. May be this is the reason that the ICC has been taking more strict measures regarding sledging day by day.

By Hooks or Crooks, New Zealand beat Pakistan

2009-11-29T08:13:00.000-08:00

Pakistan might have lost out on an opportunity to host a test match but has not yet lost out on winning a test series. This despite the fact that Pakistan lost the first test to New Zealand yesterday at Dunedin by 32 runs. Thanks to some one man show by Shane Bond in terms of the bowling department of New Zealand who took 8 wickets to earn the man of the match. However, the batting department didn't lag far behind when the lower middle order batsman in Daniel Vettori bought up all his experience to miss another century by 1 run and in addition some contributions from Guptill and Taylor as well.

Despite all these positives from the New Zealand batsmen and Shane Bond and with the fact that New Zealand won the first test, I'd still say that it was a fluke that New Zealand won the match and not by talent. A close look at the New Zealand players irrespective of which department they belonged to, their body language was never found to speak for them whatsoever. Except for Shane Bond, none of the New Zealand players ever showed any sort of enthusiasm in game for reasons best known to them personally. There was hardly any passion for the game from the New Zealand side.

On the other side, the Pakistani players were in the game until they lost their last wicket. The last three wicket partnership for Pakistan in the second innings lasted for as long as 17 overs and nothing would have been possible without the presence of Shane Bond. Where were the players from New Zealand when they had to face the Pakistani bowlers who just dumbfounded most of the New Zealand batsmen when they lost all their wickets for a partly score of just 153? It was not a big deal to have posted a just above 400 runs in the first innings after being put to bat by Pakistan.

It was not a bad move when the Pakistani captain chose to field first after winning the toss for, not only did bowlers from Pakistan have the guts to put pressure on the New Zealand batsmen but also that the New Zealand batting line up was thought to never rise up which unfortunately didn't happen. Once again Shane Bond's presence played a crucial role here when he took 5 Pakistani wickets restricting them for 332. That was not a bad total whatsoever by Pakistan. It was some luck that saw New Zealand score 429 runs which eventually saw them end up victorious.

One has to just wait and see how far can New Zealand can go from here onwards. Can the Kiwis win atleast one of the remaining 2 matches to win the series?

Dhoni Could Have Done A Lot Many Things

2009-11-21T07:48:00.000-08:00

This has of late been the mantra of the Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni whenever team India's performance is far below par. Often Dhoni is seen making statements that includes a lot of ifs and buts that can make and break many things in life. This I decided to make a point after I just now heard Dhoni's statement that "We could have bowled tighter" on cricinfo. The first time I heard Dhoni using such worthless words was after India's miserable loss at the hands of Sri Lanka in the finals of the Asia cup 2008 held at Pakistan. A little bit of planning always helps and is Dhoni an exception?

His words never were different after his team's losses in the second world T20 held at England where Dhoni's men had wins only against minnows Bangladesh and Ireland that were followed by a series of losses against England, West Indies and South Africa. There, Dhoni was in for much praise for accepting his mistake whose result was a complete whitewash for his team. This was followed by Dhoni repeating the same statement (may be with a different set of words) in the ICC Champions Trophy where his team could draw only a consolation win from the game against the West Indies.

And perhaps one has to say thanks for not saying that "had we batted against Australia, we would have won". Of course, there is no rule that a team that had not won until then should not win against a team that ended the tournament without losing a single match. Words of Dhoni were no different when his team lost the one day series against Australia 4-2 of late. Had the players put in a little bit of hard work, India would have surely had the series well within their hands. No doubt that India came close to winning matches against against Australia on two occassions. But, isn't it that margin that makes a winner and a loser of the game?

We have in the past seen many captains slamming their respective cricket boards, captains and coaches, batsmen, bowlers and fieldsmen in addition to the weather, the pitch and of course the umpires. One has to really appreciate anyone who accepts his mistake whenever something goes wrong. But, it its nothing but a joke for anyone to repeat the same words again and again when there is hardly any improvement in his team's performance. A sorry this time should be a better performance in the next and not just another sorry. It is not an unknown fact that better things give rise to better performance and Dhoni need not keep on reminding it again and again I suppose.

Is India Lucky or Australia?

2009-09-29T06:34:00.000-07:00

Well since last night when the match between India and Australia was abandoned owing to rain, most of the tongues are wagging in either of the team's favor. Some say that it was India who was lucky to have escaped yet another defeat at the hands of the Aussies and keep their fingers crossed when it comes to predicting the semi final spot atleast as far as India is concerned. So is Australia. Needless to be said, India had lost their first match to arch rivals Pakistan by 54 runs at Centurion. Had India lost the one to Australia, their hopes of making it to the semi finals would have surely been shattered.

And, when it comes to Australia, one has to recall the way the Aussies entered the finals of a tri nation tournament way back in 2004 that involved Pakistan and India by not even bowling a single delivery. India had lost their first match to Pakistan and then the match against Australia was forced to be abandoned after being hit by rain (like in the ongoing Champions Trophy). Finally, Australia won the match by 17 runs in a low scoring encounter where Australia successfully defended 192 runs. And this time also, Australia are bound to enjoy the same luck which can see them through to the semis.

Anyway coming to the match between India and Australia, one has to really appreciate the Aussies who were comfortable at 234/4 at the end of the 40^th over despite at one point of time being at 7/1 at the end of the fifth over. Hardly anyone would have expected the Australians to come back so strongly after their initial debacle. The Indian players seemed not to have learnt any lessons from their first defeat to Pakistan when they allowed a 202 run partnership. The match was more towards Australia that that when India is considered. The Australian batsmen got decent and important partnerships whenever they needed.

There was Ishanth Sharma whose bowling is compared by Australian greats to that of Glenn McGrath. And then there was Harbhajan Singh as well along with Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar. No doubt that Ashish Nehra was comparitively impressive with the ball in both the games that India played. Its a wonder as to why someone like Virat Kohli is still making it to the playing eleven when the place of whom can be replaced by a decent all rounder? There was Yousuf Pathan whose luck could well balance between batting and bowling. It looks like India is more desperate to lose matches and get back home as soon as possible.

Indian Selectors Do It Yet Again

2009-09-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

Well even before India are yet to play their first match in the ICC Champions trophy 2009, a news that India's dashing opener Yuvraj Singh is ruled out not only for the ICC Champions Trophy but also for six weeks which rules him out of the Champions Trophy completely. Another reason for India to worry is that they have to face their arch rivals Pakistan in their very first game of the Champions Trophy on Sunday. So, there is a lot of task at hand for India and especially for Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Anyway, that should not be the reason for worry when there are players like Dravid, Tendulkar and Dhoni out there.

However, the reason for team India to worry is the replacement who has turned out to be Virat Kolhi for reason best known to selectors. When there are so many players out there warming the banches, the inclusion of Virat Kolhi is real mystery. There was Robin Uttappa and Rohith Sharma who are declared well fit for the upcoming Champions League T20 and in addition the reason for the inclusion of Dinesh Karthik is still not clear whatsoever. With the winning combination itself not working for India in their warm up against New Zealand, a re-thinking would help to solve issues regarding selection.

This is not the first time that the Indian selectors have got into such a callous decision. In the world cup 2003 held at South Africa, V V S Laxman was replaced by Dinesh Mongia when the former had scored exceptionally well in the earlier tournaments against West Indies and New Zealand. There was absolutely no reason why Dinesh Mingia was included. So was the case with Mohd kaif whose lone impression was in guiding India to a 2 wicket victory against England in the finals of the NatWest series 2002. Then onwards, Kaif is remembered only for scoring 5 consecutive ducks in the series against Pakistan in 2006.

Then was the dropping of Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid which is quite evident to all of us. And people like Sarandeep Singh, Abhijith Kale and Amit Mishra have made it to team India despite their flash in the pan brilliance. Someone like Dinesh Mongia was included in all 11 world cup matches that India played in 2003 world cup to no avail. It was the presense of Sachin Tendulkar that overshadowed his dismal performance. May be that Virat Kolhi not be included in the playing eleven or atleast against crucial matches against Pakistan and Australia. However, Virat Kolhi is not that bad a player if his T20 stats are considered. But, is he the perefect replacement for Yuvi when there were so many in the ranks????Just think.

Aussies Set For A New Record

2009-09-18T04:39:00.000-07:00

Well the Australian cricket team may at present not be the number 1 team that it was until recently when the Proteas took over. And after their 2-1 series loss to England in the recently concluded Ashes added fuel to fire when they were stripped off their number 1 status in test cricket also to South Africa. Needless to be said, this has taken a toll on the Australian players and Ricky Ponting especially when he was not only forced to take a short gap after his team's dismal performance but also quit the much hyped T20 cricket. All because of bad luck in addition to bad cricket.

Anyways, coming to the sixth one day international cricket match between England and Australia at Nottingham, as expected, England were thrashed by a whooping 111 runs, the margin coinciding with the top scorer and the man of the match Tim Paine who also scored 111 runs that included 14 hits to the fence and 1 huge one over Long Off. No doubt that there was a life when he was dropped when on 30 by Matt Prior behind the stumps. Anyway, that is almost expected off England whatsoever. They rank the first to make a mess of the game. One has to appreciate the 163 runs partnership between Mike Hussey and the man of the match Tim Paine.

After the match, England looked almost exhausted and got used to such defeats especially against Australia. Since the beginning of the series, starting from the Ashes, England have always been at the receiving end if not for the self destruction made by the Aussie players when they could have well ended up victorious in the very first Ashes test, when a 7th wicket partnership in England's second innings proved too costly for Ponting's men in white. And what all followed suite is well in front of our eyes. What have England got to lose when Australia have no determination to win when the odds favored them?

Well, that is all past, and the future of the Ashes' bitter memory have only made the Aussies strong that is quite evident in the seven match one day international series. With 6 of them already in the Australians' pockets, the seventh one will be a lot more important for Australians especially, since they have lost the Common Wealth Bank series a couple of years back to the same England and in addition to that, in case Australia managed to win this one, they would be the first team in the history of the game of cricket to have won all seven one dayers in a bilateral series. And that is not all for Australia. They will share the number 1 position with South Africa in case they do that. So, who is going to miss that!!!

ICC's Great Concern For Minnows As Well

2009-07-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

Whether there are any takers for the match between Ireland and Kenya or not, the ICC looks to be keen in taking both the aforementioned teams for a ride. There have hardly been any sponsors for the above stated match but, some serious issues have popped over regarding the caliber of the game whatsoever. Don't you guys ever ask as to who would benefit from the match that involves solely minnows but just think that the ICC does things just for the cause of the game no matter who would take home what from be it the match or the series at the end.

Anyway, coming to the third and the final one day international between Kenya and Ireland, Ireland were seen whitewashing the Kenyans 3-0 in the recently concluded three match one day series. However, not a news was made in any format be it by the ICC or the news channels. Neither could one see the scorecard of the match that is ought to be a stepping stone for both the teams. Forget about the cricket fans who would have otherwise rushed to the stadiums to cheer for either of the teams or atleast come to see some cricketing action on the field.

It would not be a surprise even if the concerned persons didn't show any sort of interest in marketing the tickets for the match, for the result is well anticipated. I just recall the ICC Champions trophy 2000 that was held in Nairobi (Kenya) where people rushed to the stadiums to watch their favourite team battle it out there. Anyway, some things can never be expected. Still, the third ODI was worth the time spent in watching the same, for there was indeed some blistering stroke play from the blades of the Irish batsmen Paul Stirling who scored a decent 84 runs from 92 balls.

And on the other hand, though not a professional one, the 61 runs scored by Kenya's opening batsmen Maurice Ouma could keep the scorecard ticking each and every moment. Finally, as the rules of the game goes, there could be only one winner and that came out to be Ireland yet again. So, it would not be wrong to say that the Irish have grown harsh enough not only to punch the opposition but also whitewash the same. Else, the third one day international was thought to be Kenya's piece of cake which was finally stole by Ireland. Ireland never went in to give the opposition a consolation win like it happens most of the time when a team takes an unbeatable lead.

Something Ireland Would Be Proud Of

2009-07-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

There can be at the most one and only one winner in a cricket match and at times, there could be no winner at all. Such is the case when it comes to the game called cricket. Anyway, coming to the second one day match between Ireland and Kenya held at Dublin, the Kenyan team that are contained with tongue twisting names could hardly prove their myth in international cricket. If at all a team like Kenya can boast of a victory, it should and can be only against teams like Ireland. Well no doubt that they have had wins against India and West Indies, in which case it was India's loss rather than Kenya's win. So is the case for the other team Ireland as well.

In case Ireland can boast of a decent and deserving victory, it has to be a team of the same caliber. And Kenya is one among them. When the match between the aforementioned teams as is is hardly watched by anyone in the world and is on the other side hardly telecast by any channel that boasts of a decent viewership, one can imagine the fate of such matches when the same is hit by bad weather. As usual, the Duckworth Lewis was bought into play that declared the team Ireland who were batting second as winners by 54 runs. Needless to be said, Kenya lost all their wickets for a paltry score of just 175 and should have Ireland chased the total of 175, it would have been a satisfactory victory for Ireland.

However, the match was no less when it came to some cricket action on the field, when the Irish captain William Poterfield got his team off to a flier when he struck three boundaries off one over bowled by Kenya's Thomas Odaya. The same batsman took four boundaries from another over bowled by Kenya's Odhiambo which is a rare feat given the caliber of both the teams battling it out there. There was also a bowler who ended up with figures of 3/40 from 9 overs. In addition, there was a Kenyan batsman who had the Irish bowlers well under his control that saw Kenya raise from 66/4 at one stage to 175 at the end of the innings.

Alex Obanda fought with a 78 ball 59 in the above mentioned situation. Whatever, the only disappointment of the match was that it was reduced owing to the introduction of Duckworth Lewis which at most of the times takes away the thrill of the game. The reason for the ICC to conduct such tournaments was to help the minnows get up and dance to the tunes of stronger teams so that the game of cricket gets globalised with more nations battling it out on the field. But, with the current speed at which Ireland are going, the target is not bound to be achieved in the near future whatsoever.

Ireland On Fire

2009-07-19T07:08:00.000-07:00

Well the first one day international match between Ireland and Kenya reminded me the way Ireland way back in 2007 beat Pakistan to move further to the super eights of the same. Well, that can be said a Pakistan loss rather than an Ireland win for, underestimation at times could prove too costly like we have seen in most of the major cricketing tournaments. However, some reason for teams like Ireland and Kenya to feel proud and relaxed is a win against another minnow like be it against Bermuda or Holland. Recently, there was a two match tournament involving Scotland and Canada in which both the teams took home a victory each.

Now, after a very short duration, a bilateral series involving Kenya and Ireland is being held. This time, the ICC being more cautioned when they decided to hold a three match one day series involving the teams mentioned above. So, in addition to encouraging lesser known teams like Canada and Scotland, it looks like even the ICC is scrutinizing itself as to how to conduct tournaments and series'. Recently and very often, series' involving even number of games are held like, recently there was India's tour to the West Indies featuring four games. In case both the teams win two out of four with the other team winning the remaining two, there can be no question of disappointment for both the teams.

May be that in addition to conducting cricket matches as a competition, the ICC also wants to avoid the respective cricket boards from slamming their players over poor shows. Anyway, coming to the first one dayer between Kenya and Ireland, of course, hardly any Kenyan citizen would have shed tears over their nation's cricket loss. For, not all cricket fans resemble their counterparts in India. If the past of both the teams under consideration is taken, Kenya should have held a comparatively upper hand for, they have been playing cricket since 1996 seriously unlike Ireland who made it some 4 years back to the international arena.

Of course, even Ireland is no way less when it comes to playing decent cricket for, they made it to the super eights of a world cup on two occassions. The first instance being in 2007 after their win against Pakistan and then in the T20 world cup 2009 this time beating a much lesser opponent in Bangladesh. But, tongue twisting names like Kennedy Otieno, Obanda, Steve Tikolo and Collins Obuya are being heard since the maiden world cup 1996 which featured Kenya. But, despite their experience, they ended up on the losing side. On the other hand, Ireland's William Poterfield with just 34 matches old set up a win against Kenya for their team. With two more matches to go, deciding a winner would be nothing but stupidity.

Scotland Pull One Back

2009-07-16T02:23:00.000-07:00

For a team that is yet to win a match in a world cup, it is a delight to win even a single game, be it against any opposition. This is regarding the way Scotland beat Canada in the second one day match held at Aberdeen. After losing the first one day match to Canada a couple of days back, it looked as though the Scottish players have taken the game of cricket damn seriously. If one goes back to the past of the Scotland's performance in international cricket, they are one of the team who are yet to win a match in ICC world cup or the Champions Trophy.

Scotland got a chance to make it to the world cup in 1999 and 2007, where they lost 5 games in 1999 followed by 3 in 2007. They should have won the games against Holland in the 2007 world cup at Caribbean and against Bangladesh in 1999 world cup. Of course, Bangladesh were a better bunch of playing XI in 1999 when it comes to playing Scotland. Not only did Scotland win the second one day match against Canada, but in addition to that, they chased down a decent total (as far as the standard of cricket in Scotland goes) of 250 with 5 wickets in hand.

Unlike last time where Canada won the toss and showed some mature thinking when they could read the batsmen friendly nature of the pitch and chose to field, this time Canada once again won the toss, but made a bad call when they went in to bat first thus allowing the Scottish batsmen to cut loose. This shows the lack of consistence not only in winning matches but even in making the right call after winning the toss. Despite the first over wicket in the Scottish innings when Watts was run out without facing a delivery, there were 3 other Scottish batsmen who posted half centuries.

As usual, the Canadian captain Ashish Bagai bought on all eight of his bowlers to bowl. Fun was that only one bowler out of eight was found bowling out his quota of 10 overs. Something strange was that there was an over that contained just five deliveries. The second over bowled by Evans in the first innings contained. And one more thing that is rare with the Scottish players was a hattrick ball in the 42nd over bowled by Baidwan which unfortunately couldn't be a hattrick. When such things happen, it raises a question that even the umpires were new to the game. This can be evident from the fact that one of the umpires viz. Enamul Haque was from Bangladesh and the other was a South African in Jerling. But, wasn't there any man of the match?

Something There In Scotland & Canada As Well

2009-07-15T08:25:00.000-07:00

Rarely do one cast their eyes on the cricket matches that involve lesser known nations like Bermuda, Scotland, Canada, Kenya etc to name a few. Of course, teams like Kenya have involved themselves in one day tournaments like, there was a tournament being played in Sharjah that involved Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Zimbabwe & Kenya which was the result of South Africa pulling out of the same owing to terror threat in the aftermath of the U.S invasion over Iraq way back in 2003. Another instance that I can cite is the tri series involving India, Bangladesh and Kenya in 1998.

Last, I remember a quadrangular tournament involving the Proteas, Kenya, Zimbabwe and India in October 1999. If not for these tournaments that are held once in a bluemoon, the other times where these teams are found playing international cricket would always be in mega tournaments like the ICC world cup and the ICC Champions Trophy. However, off late, the ICC looks to be damn serious in globalising the game of cricket by involving as many nations in the world as possible who would one fine day be playing decent cricket. As a result of the same, there are series' involving Canada, Scotland, Bermuda, Holland, Ireland so on to name a few.

There is an advantage in this as well for, one can watch the players from these nations as well notching up a century as it happened in the match between Canada and Scotland where Watts and Hamilton scored centuries against Canada in the first one dayer only to see Scotland lose the match by 6 wickets against Canada-which saw yet another century scored by the 35 year old Sandeep Jyothi when he notched up 117. Sad that Ashish Bagai couldn't do the same when he remained not out on 92 when Canada had won the match by 6 wickets. This is not a task that any of the teams mentioned above could do in case they were playing test playing nations barring Bangladesh.

It was good to see the Canadaian bowlers do each and everything to stop the Scottish batsmen from scoring runs at will which never happened. The Canadian captain bought to bowl all his eight bowlers but, eventually the task was done by the batsmen. The match gave us an idea that not only could these teams put up huge totals but also chase down the same when the opportunity arises. I wonder as to who on earth trained the Canadian captain to go in for a good toss when he elected to bowl, with the fact that the pitch was favoring the batsmen and chasing down a decent total on this track would not be a tough task! Oh! yeah..it was a Canadian batsman who held the record for the fastest WC 100 for 4 years.

But, at the end of the match, who was the man of the match?

Rajasthan Royals Do It One More Time

2009-07-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

The Rajasthan Royals entered the second edition of the Indian Premier League as the defending champions and also had a decent run in the tournament if not for some ups and downs, one of them being the collapse of their batting line up for the lowest total of the tournament when they were bowled out for a partly score of just 58 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Entering the tournament as the defending champions, as the tournament progressed, they were not even the team to beat and likewise didn't even make it to the last four of the series. However, yesterday's win over Middlesex team in the British Asian cup at Lord's.

It was indeed a good show by Shane Warne and his team that included the likes of Sohail Tanvir who was not available for the second edition of the Indian Premier League held at South Africa earlier this year. In the T20 format 0f the game of cricket, it is evident from most of the matches that there can be one good or bad over that can change the fortunes of the match. And this match was no exception either. It was the 32 runs that Dimitri Mascarenhas scored towards the end of the Rajasthan Royals' innings at a strike rate of 200.0 that made a difference for the Royals.

It was as good as that the Rajasthan Royals who were equipped with star international players like Shane Warne, Sohail Tanvir, Justin Langer and others were facing the minnow team in Middlesex who were having just a bunch of eleven players, majority of whom have an experience of playing just domestic tournaments. With most of the English international players playing for the coming Ashes, hardly any international player could be seen in the Middlesex squad and some relief for the Middlesex team was in the form of Murali Karthik and Owasis Shah who atleast could be of some international standards.

However, if the scorecard is given a look, Murali Karthik had a decent run when he returned up with figures of 1/18 from his allotted 4 overs. But, with regards to Shah's performance, there was nothing different from other domestic cricketers who could do just that. This I guess should be a welcome victory for the Rajasthan Royals who had upset their fans by not even making it to the semi finals of the second edition of the Indian Premier League. One must consoder the Rajasthan Royals to be lucky enough for having a series eith just one match to go, winning which would see them emerge as champions irrespective of anything else.

West In-Dies

2009-07-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

There was a time when the West Indies were the team to beat by all oppositions.The then West Indies team included the like of hard hitting batsmen in Vivian Richards, Clive Lloyd and deadly fast bowling Andy Roberts, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall that could rip out any opposition apart. That was once upon a time. Then, the next generation players for the West Indies saw the Batting great Brian Lara, with some decent performers like Richie Richardson, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Carl Hooper and the next generation deadly fast bowlers in Ian Bishop, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh who carried the good work done by Andy Roberts and co.

Even though the West Indies could not make it to even the semis after the 1983 world cup until the next generation players as said above made it in 1996 after beating the Proteas. However, despite the presence of Courtney Walsh, Brian Lara, Ambrose and Chanderpaul, they could not make it to the second round of the 1999 world cup after collapsing at 110 in the crucial match against Steve Waugh's Australia after having an early loss to Pakistan. It was as though that, the standard of the West Indies cricket had completely gone out of the way since then. Of course, West Indies never dominated the cricket world like they did in the 70s.

But, they were considered to be a decent opposition by all teams. However, their test performance after this can never be taken into consideration. Now, in the recently concluded one day series against England, even their one day performance is found to follow suit. Whatever be the case, West Indies until now was a major challenge for only teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe when it comes to playing test cricket. But, now, after their 2-0 loss to England in the Natwest series, it looks like they are suited only for minnows even in their ODI. Perhaps! This can be evident from the fact that they lost to Bangladesh in the inaugural edition of the ICC world T20.

For that matter, even England are way behind in one day cricket compared to other teams barring Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and the West Indies offlate. When it was not possible for the West Indies to pull even one out of the two one dayers played, one can imagine the capability of the West Indies team. No doubt that the West Indies put up a decent 270 on the board in comparison to England's 328. But, can the 58 run defeat that the West Indies sufferred be forgiven? If not for Owais Shah, none of the England batsmen showed any signs of pressure while facing the West Indian bowlers. If not for 2 bowlers who bowled 10 overs, rest of the bowlers ended up with a run rate of 6+, with 5 others going in for 7+.

Something Interesting On Facial & Body Proceedures

2009-07-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

There are so many thing in this world that you have never heard about. That is quite obvious for, there is something new that happens everyday in every field that we come across in day-to-day life. Most of the women would have gone in for somethings like implants, plastic surgeries, facial rejuvenation and lots more just to name a few. However, as I said earlier, something new keeps on popping up every now and then, the aforementioned areas are no exception.

One thing what I could get despite not being my area of interest was something regarding Breast Implants out of which the two most preferred by women over the world are the saline breast implants and silicone breast implants. However, my idea regarding the same being limited, all I can assure you people is that the site has made a name for itself in the areas specified and is on the lips of every women who have gone in for breast & facial implants. Do give it a try.

Start of The West Indies' ODI Debacle

2009-07-01T23:22:00.001-07:00

Until recently, the West Indies had trouble only when it came to test cricket but now, the West Indies have started extending their dismal performance even in the one day international matches as well. After getting whitewashed in the recently concluded 2 test match series against England by a 2-0 margin, now, it looks as though it is the turn of the ODIs to follow suit. Last time in 2004-2005, when the West Indies had played England on two occasions successively, they had lost 7 out of the 8 test matches played but, they had a better run in the one dayers.

First, the West Indies leveled the 5 match one day series with both the West Indies and England winning two matches. And then in the return series, in the Natwest series involving West Indies, England and New Zealand, England failed to make it to the finals of the tri series then. Not to mentioned that West Indies lost the finals to New Zealand without giving the Kiwis a tough time on the field. But, this time, the West Indies have shown signs of collapsing in the one day matches as well. Out of three matches, with the first one being abandoned owing to rain, the second one was a one sided affair with the game being completely dominated by England.

West Indies were nowhere in the game from the beginning of the match. First, they not only lost all their wickets for a partly score of 160, but also could not bat their complete quota of 50 overs. The West Indian batsmen were bowled out for 160 in just 38.3 overs. And in the second, no attempt was found to be made by the West Indian bowlers to make things difficult for the English batsmen either. The English batsmen were able to reach the target of 161 in just 36 overs, with as many as 14 overs remaining. I wonder as to how come players like Chandrapaul, Ramdin and Sarwan couldn't cut lose despite being known for their big hitting ablities!

It was fascinating to see Paul Collingwood do the trick with both the bat as well as with the ball. Collingwood ended up with figures of 3/16 from his alloted 6 overs and then scored a 50 ball 47 that included 4 hits to the fence and one huge six. A glance at the scorecard of the match would suggest that it was a shortened game with each team being allowed to play just 39 over, when the West Indies' batting chart reading 160 in 38.3 overs from the allotted 39 overs and the England chart reading 161/4 in 36 overs. But, that was not the case. It was as though that England were playing some minnow team and not the team that has had 2 world cup wins in the past.

A Reason For Pakistan To Smile

2009-07-01T23:11:00.001-07:00

In the recently concluded one day series between Pakistan and Australia, if our memories are long, Australia won the series by a margin 3-2 Pakistan won the first one day match only to lose the second and third followed by a consolation win in the fifth one day when at one time in the match they gave a hint that the result would be 4-1 favoring Australia. Anyway, Pakistan finally ended up victorious after beating the Aussies by 7 wickets despite losing three quick wickets. And in the only T20 match that was a part of the series, Pakistan had almost everything theirs for, on one side they were champions of the game compared to Australia and on the other side, Australia were not playing T20 the way they play either ODI or test cricket.

As expected, Australia crumbled for a partly total of just 108 which is as good as a 3.0 per over run rate in an ODI match. It was fascinating to see Australia have just three players who could manage to score a double digit score. The top scorer in the Australian side was opener Shane Watson who scored 33 runs. This was good only in comparison with the rest of the batsmen and not as far as the game of T20 cricket is concerned. I wonder as to how come Australia could sink so low in T20 cricket that players like Andrew Symonds, Hopes and Hussey could not lead the Aussie batting despite having made names for big hitting in international arena.

On the other hand, Pakistan could win the match without the services of the big hitting Shahid Afridi and captain Younus Khan who opted out of the match and Misbah takes over the captaincy for yet another time. For a change, Shahid Afridi was found striking with the ball bowling his regular leg spin when he is known for his big hitting that can rather be called a slog instead. Shahid Afridi is always found hitting the ball blindly irrespective of the position at which he is batting and the position his team is in. Sometimes, the ball that gets hit covers the distance and during other times, just finds the fielder.

However, off late, Shahid Afridi is found to bowl his leg spin with a wide variety that often makes the batsmen think twice before selecting a shot. Perhaps! Shahid Afridi can now think about a role as a bowler in cricket for, his blind slogging of the ball often disappoints his team rather than be of some service to the same. Until now, Afridi's varying spin bowling was limited only to minnow like Kenya and Zimbabwe. Now, he has got even the decent opposition like Australia under control with his varying leg brakes. For the first time, I can see two bowlers belonging to the same team being given the man of the match award. Probably, this has happened for the first time I guess. I remember Gibbs (RSA) & Ponting (Aus) being awarded the man of the match in the historical match where RSA chased down 434 imposed by Australia.

England Strikes The Target This Time

2009-07-01T23:00:00.001-07:00

Finally, Andrew Strauss is able to do what his predecessors like Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain could do. Thrash the opposition when the opportunity arises. This is what Andrew Strauss did in the return series against the West Indies not only by defeating them in the first as well as in the second test but also win the second test by an innings. Andrew Strauss lost out an opportunity to come out with an innings win in the first test when he imposed a follow on after having a 223 run lead in the first innings of the first test. Finally, Strauss has silenced all his critics over his captaincy and has also avoided the fingers from pointing towards him.

England have once again whitewashed the West Indies after they had done under Michael Vaughan way back in 2005 where England won all four matches against West Indies. West Indies never deserve to win against any decent opposition in the world if their performance in the past decade is taken a close look at. A draw against a decent opposition meant a day of celebration for the West Indies team. All I can consider being done by the West Indies team if not for their wins against minnows Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, is the drawn test against Australia last year, a win against South Africa in late 2007 and a win against England off late a couple of months back.

And if the series results involving West Indies are considered, they have hardly won against any decent opposition in the recent past. The 1-0 series win against England a couple of months back as said would be remembered for long by the West Indies captain. Hah! Not to forget their 1-1 leveled series against Pakistan in 2005. Other that this, they had lost a home series to India 1-0 way back in 2006 where they should have lost by a 0-4 margin. It was good to see all the eight batsmen from the England team to have put up a decent show with the bat by scoring a mommoth 569. The England players showed the West Indies what they were capable of and so did the West Indies.

West Indies did what best they could do. Just crumble to a rather indecent bowling. Oh! yes..the bowling from the English bowlers were pretty decent. The better performance in the second innings of the first test by the West Indies' batsmen could not be seen in the second innings of the second test. In the second innings of the first test, West Indies scored a total of 256 as against 152 in the first innings. This helped them to avoid being defeated by an innings. However, in the second test at Chester-le-Street, the West Indies scored just 176 runs as agsinst the total of 310 put up in the first innings of the seocnd test. Proving that they can go from bad to worse. Not to worry for, the worst is yet to come.

England Realize What To Do

2009-07-01T22:52:00.001-07:00

It was just two months ago that England suffered a 0-1 defeat at the hands of West Indies after losing the first test by an innings and following it up with three drawn test matches. However, after facing this debacle, the England captain Andrew Strauss might have taken the opposition too seriously and never let off any chance of spoiling their party in the return series against the West Indies. This time, in the first test between the two nations, Andrew Strauss made up some mind to impose follow on and see the West Indies' batsmen crumble to the English bowling. Sad that England couldn't take home an innings win.

One can recall the 4-0 and 3-0 whitewashes by England over the West Indies exactly four years back when the West Indian team was led by Brian Lara. Anyway, that is a forgotten story altogether. This time, luck was not in favor of the West Indies team like last time where West Indies were lucky to win the first one any followed it up with three drawn test matches. No doubt that the West Indies team had scored 600+ when England put up a mammoth total for the West Indies to lead in the third test. And the only luck what the West Indies had was that they were left with ample time to chase down a 200+ target in the fifth.

West Indies were supposed to chase down some 200+ target in just about two sessions. Then, the day ended with the West Indies' score reading 113/8. However, no risk on the part of Andrew Strauss was expected whatsoever. Strauss' team just blasted the West Indies out of the tournament. The West Indies were nowhere in the game. First, England scored a decent if not a huge 377 on the board for which the West Indies' reply was some 223 runs lag. Then the West Indies showed some comparatively good batting by scoring 256 which just enough for the West Indies to avoid an innings defeat.

Finally, the west Indies were shown the way where they originally belonged to. Number 8 position just behind Bangladesh. The absence of Zimbabwe has taken a toll on the West Indies team for, they have lost out on an opportunity to win against any other team barring Bangladesh. The risk of imposing a follow on by the England captain indeed requires a pat on a back for, not all captains in the cricketing world do it especially against teams barring Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. With still one more test to go, the West Indies team can look out to level the series and retain the trophy it won just two months back.

An Upperhand Does Not Win The Game

2009-06-27T06:24:00.000-07:00

This is something that the England players would be kicking themselves for, after their 1-0 loss at the hands of the West Indies. In the previous two occasions, England had won test series' twice against the West Indies in between 2004-05. And not only that, the England team had won 7 out of 8 tests that were scheduled in that season, with the remaining one test ending up in a draw. The then England team beat West Indies first on its home ground which is even today remembered for the fourth test at Antigua where Brian Lara scored an unbeaten 400 to reclaim the record that he had lost to Mathew Hayden 6 months ago.

And this time, yet again a similar test series has been scheduled, with the first 4 match test series to be played in the West Indies and the next 4 match test series to be played in England somewhere in May. And this time also, England were the favourites to win the series. But, just imagine what a nightmare it has been for the English team that has toured the West Indies? Despite having the upperhand in two out of three matches, England were not able to end up victorious at the end of the series. The series result read 1-0 favoring the West Indies.

Forget about the second where the pitch had everything to say. The second and the third test match ended in a draw, with the West Indies making most out of the lead that they had so far in the series, thus leaving the English team with only having a chance to level the series and in the process retain the Wisden trophy. But, that was not at all to be. Struass had no plans ragarding how to tackle the West Indies team. Ameteurity of Andrew Struass is quite evident when he declared the England innings just after lunch, leaving the West Indies just four hours to either defend the series.

West Indies had, at the end of the 5th day scored 113 /8, meaning just two wickets were needed for England to level the series. But, the English bowlers had no time to get those two wickets. It is either the English bowlers who failed to take the last two West Indian wickets or else the West Indian tail was too strong to be cut. All the West Indies needed was a draw to ensure that they ended up victorious which they did. I wonder how come someone like Nash who was just playing his 9th test match could score a century? This is the beauty of a test match that there can be atleast one result and that being a draw. One has to snatch a victory from the jaws of draw or else, the result is evident from Andrew Struass' face.

Unsafety In The England Side

2009-06-22T22:48:00.000-07:00

England would be facing Australia in the coming Ashes if all are aware of. Unfortunately, team England do not seem to have the privileges that either South Africa or India are found to have. Despite being the home team for the coming Ashes, England still seem to be the underdogs for this Ashes as well. It is a well known fact that Australia are no more the team they were a couple of years back. But, so are England too. Even England are not found playing good or even decent cricket at the moment. Else, what on earth made them lag behind in the ongoing test series against the West Indies?

Forget about the first test where may be that players from England cricket team were new to the West Indies pitches. But, even that shouldn't have been the reason for collapsing so badly by getting themselves all out for a paltry score of just 51 on the board. When it came to the second, there were a lot of mishaps when the pitch where the test match was played on was just friendly for a controversy and laughter and nothing else. The second test had to be played as an unscheduled third test match at a different. Anyway, that is not England's fault whatsoever. In the fourth test at Bridgetown, a score of 600 proves to be little for the Windies.

If the pitch was a batsmen friendly one, then the English batsmen should have scored a thousand runs (a little exaggeration is regretted). An all batsmen West Indies team should have chased a higher total. And when someone like Dinesh Ramdin who was found batting at number 7 scoring 166 indeed raises questions as to how come England could manage to declare with four batsmen still there? Wasn't there any sort of game planning by England, for the entire 5 days saw just two out of four innings being completed? By the time England declared their third innings, there was no room for the West Indies to get in to bat for the 2nd time.

As far as the West Indies team is considered, it was not a must win situation for them for they have already taken a lead in the series after their innings win in the first test. But, I wonder as to where the English brains had gone all the way? Since the past four years that I've been following the West Indies cricket especially in tests, they have hardly won any test series. All I can recall is the way they drew their 2 test series against Pakistan 2 years ago. Oh! Yes..they have had victories against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Perhaps! Had teams like Ireland, Bermuda & Kenya been granted test status, West Indies could have boasted of a few more victories under its belt. And if any team loses to such a side, it would not be necessary to stress upon the caliber of that team.

Aussies Do What They Could Best Do

2009-06-09T02:34:00.000-07:00

After the third one day match between Australia and Pakistan, Australia must be feeling a lot more comfortable for clinching the series, when a part of the odds favored the opposition team namely Pakistan who were also facing the same drought that the Australians were facing. But, that was indeed a welcome vitory for Australia after enjoying their dominating position for almost a decade. Well the news of the Australian team declining in standards of the cricket comparatively, is a stale one I suppose. But, who on earth intends to lose something they have enjoyed for almost a decade? Even Ricky Ponting is no exception.

This could be the only reason for Australia to consider themselves lucky enough. They have at last won a one day international tournament in 2009, after losing twice at the hands of the Proteas and then leveling the series with New Zealand in the later part of the Common Wealth Bank series. This was another match that the Australians just managed to lose once again. For, they had the Pakistani batsmen well in their control when the Pakistani batsmen were found reeling at 56 for the loss of three wickets at the end of the 16th over, with the target being 250.

Occassionly, both the teams out there viz Pakistan and Australia had one of their batsmen scoring an unbeaten 116. For Pakistan, it was Kamran Akmal and for Australia it was the opner Shane Watson. It was fantastic to see the Pakistani batsmen not losing any more wickets after their initial loss. Of course, in the recent past, Pakistan has been doing it commonly in most occassions. I still remember the Pakistani batsmen losing all their wickets for a score of 312 on the first day itself and the next step was India putting up a total of 516, empowered with Virender Sehwag's 173. But, Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt came back strongly in the second innings and ensured that the match never went to India.

However, had this come a match prior to this, things would have been seriously different for both the teams. They could have well won the third one day match when Australia were destroyed for a modest total of just 198 on the board. If a team like Pakistan cannot chase down 198, it is a wonder as to who is to be blamed. Of cpurse, not much could be expected from the second and third ODI where in Pakistan imposed a total of just 207 in the second and ten runs lesser than this in the fourth one day. Finally, the Australian players can play in the IPL peacefully without any blasting from their board.

A Rare Feather In Aussie Flag

2009-05-31T22:58:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not. I was of the impression that Australia would surely lose the third one day match to Pakistan and would also forfeit the series as well. But, the third one day international had a totally different say whatsoever. This became even moire stronger after the first innings where the Australian batsmen lost wickets at regular intervals for a partly score of just 198 on the board. And it was just a wonder come true for any team to have defended this score and that too against a decent XI like Pakistan. So, would it be right if I say that Australia are back to their winning ways. Well....not really

A Super Cool Symonds

2009-05-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

The second one day international between Australia and Pakistan at Dubai reminded me of the world cup encounter between the same two countries way back in 2003 where Andrew Symonds bought Australia from nowhere to end up victorious at the end of the day despite being at 94 for the loss of 5 crucial wickets at one stage, with the then Pakistan side equipped with Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Australia finally ended their batting innings at 308/8 and winning the match by 82 runs. All this being possible because of Andrew Symonds who scored an unbeaten 143 off just 125 balls.

And this time in Dubai too, it was the same Andrew Symonds who with his all round contribution helped Australia win the second one day international against Pakistan. Otherwise also, the Australians were in a rather comfortable position first by restricting Pakistan to a modest total of just 207 and then by surpassing the total in 45 overs losing just 4 wickets in the process. Especially after the loss of Australia in the first one day match at the same venue a couple of days back and Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal threatening to take the game away from the Aussies, Symonds' feat is indeed worth the praise.

That is the reason why someone like Andrew Symonds is there in the Australian team despite a number of controversies that surround him off late. If one would ask me, I can tell you guys that Andrew Symonds is no better when compared to either Sreesanth or Shoaib Akthar when it comes to off the field controversies. And Andrew Symonds was also kept aside for the test tournament against India in India last year owing to some fishing controversy which was fishy as well. And Australia paid the heavy price which it had to, by losing the test series 2-0 st the hands of India.

Coming to the match, the second ODI was a face saving one for Australia who are on the receiving end of many fingers which are found pointing towards them after the end of the Warne -McGrath era. Adding to these were the retirement of fellow players like Mathew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist and then injuries striking Brett Lee. Such victories are always welcome for any team who are facing such a drought in cricket when it comes to winning matches. May be that was the reason as to why all the six players who made it to the crease did their little bit that contribute to Australia's success after defeat.

Where Will The 2011 Be Held?

2009-04-23T23:05:00.000-07:00

Now that Pakistan has been excluded as the venue for the 2011 world cup owing to the security over that place, it would be nice to know where the games that were previously to be held in Pakistan would be held now. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh being the other hosts, hosting the Pakistan matches there would not be a good idea, for they are packed with enough number of games and having more games there would be saturation point in these countries. And not only this, but, even the other three venues are likely to cause some or the other security concerns for the players.

One has to recall the blasts in the Indian cities that the country has witnessed and no assurance regarding avoiding the same in future as well. So, India can be just be considered to be better than Pakistan. Despite these blasts that are more or less targetted towards people from the West, Australia and England in particular, it is a wonder that hardly anyone has made an attempt to reconsider their decision of touring India. Blasts keep happening in one or the other city in India atleast once in a month. So, do you consider India as a safe option?

One fears that Pakistan might influence the ICC regarding the security in India taking into account the blasts in Indian cities that have rocked them. But, why should Pakistan do that? The ICC can itself come to a conclusion when it analuses the security suituation in India. Indian newspapers would be the best judge for that. And then, Bangladesh is just another Pakistan, where even the situation cannot be considered to be different. For the moment, there might not be any problems. But, can the Pakistan influence upon the country be given a pass? May be by 2011, situation in Pakistan be well under control and not regarding Bangladesh or India.

And neither is Sri Lanka safe. Of course, the target of the bombers there in Sri Lanka may not be the West world. But, bombs are not gifted with brains to strike only the target alone. Security is making rounds in Sri Lanka equally as it is being done in Pakistan. At present, Sri Lanka is no different than Pakistan when it comes to security concerns. Both the Pakistan as well as the Sri Lankan captains have been stroke recently. So, if these issues cross the line, the ICC world cup 2011 might go the ICC Champions Trophy 2008 way. As a reminder, Australia/New Zealand have last hosted a world cup or an international cricket even way back in 1992 for the Benson & Hedges world cup.

Is Pakistan So Good?

2009-04-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

Well it was nice to finally see the Pakistani players wear their boots and hang on with their cricket gears when they faced Australia recently. And much to the excitement, not only did Pakistan enter the ground, but also they took the opposition to task and guess who the opposition was!!!Yes the mighty Aussies of the past. Of course not in the present arena. There were three Australian players whose performance was exceptional when compared to the rest. That was when Brad Haddin, James Hopes and Shane Watson scored 40+ scores. But, not enough support from the other players just added to the Aussie misery, who have just come back from a disastrous tour of South Africa losing the one day series 3-2.

A series of losses in this series against Pakistan could land the Aussies back to where they belong to. That is the number 3 position in the ICC one day rankings. And this doesn't seem to be too far taking their dismal performance against Pakistan into consideration. And how come Australia couldn't just contain the Pakistani players who are since the past one year or so playing international cricket once in a bluemoon? Of course, if the Australian team is given a close look, it doesn't actually seem so. But, the scoreboard the other day gave a different opinion. Reason?

The victory in the fifth and the final one day match against South Africa would have surely given them a great relief when they found themselves at no 2 in the ICC one day rankings. That was the feat that they could manage after losing the series to the Proteas and pulling off a consolation win. But, if things go this way for the Aussies, a Bangladesh- Australia match would be just fine, filled with guesses and thrills. For, Bangladesh are found improving themselves with respect to the game and on the other hand, Aussies are found diminishing in their standards.

2007. But they were never expected to be this bad that not only did they lose the game against Pakistan, but also lost all their 10 wickets for a score less than 175. And the bowler who took the Australian batsmen to task was a part time bowler in May be it is true that Australia are not the team they were two years ago during the world cupShahid Afridi, who is only known for slogging the ball blindly-sometimes over the ropes and many a times to the hands of the fieldsman. And if such a bowler can bag 6 Aussie wickets, one can imagine the plight of the Aussie bowlers.

Last Laugh For The Moment

2009-04-19T06:09:00.000-07:00

At last, Australia managed to have the last laugh in the one day series against South Africa not only owing to the fact that Australia convincingly beat the hosts, but also they could make it to their second home ie the number 2 spot in the latest ICC one day rankings, overtaking India who were until then were enjoying the benefits of Australia's loss and their win against and in New Zealand. For a change, South Africa played an Austalia at Johonnesburg by getting into a great start but later on succumbing to the pressure created by the Aussie bowlers. This was something that the Australian players were found doing in the last three matches. But, this time it was the opposite i.e Australia.

As usual, this time also the team batting first not only held the upper hand but also emerged victorious. This is the fate of international cricket which is never bound to change whatsoever atleast for the time being. The slog over advantage that the team batting first would be having in the last ten overs always plays a spoilsport for the team batting second. The team batting second would not be enjoying this privilege. And this match was no different whatsoever. And neither did it really seem so if the atmosphere at Johannesburg is taken into consideration on that particular day.

It was fantastic to see A B DeVilliars- the man of the series stand stiff against the Aussie bowlers despite the fall of Mark Boucher and Albie Morkel at the other end. After A B DeVilliars' score of 38, no other South Afican player ever crossed the double digit mark until Morne Morkel broke the jinx by scoring a consolation 15 runs with the help of two hits to the fence. But that couldn't stop Australia from winning the game and with it the second spot in the ICC one day rankings. And South Africa had nothing absolutely to lose if not for that match in particular. For, they were the number 1 team at present and also had clinched the series after they beat Australia in the fourth one day match by 61 runs.

But, was that loss due to some or a more of negligience on the part of the South African players for, as said earlier, they were topping the world rankings in one dayers and also they had won the series convincingly. But, that doesesn't seem so if their earlier series against Australia is taken into consideration. Despite winning the series in the fourth one day match, South Africa went on to win the fifth one as well and that too with hosts being Australia. Whatever, the joy of South Africa winning the title would be limited only to a day, for players like Kallis and many others would be back to their duty to play in the IPL the very next day itself.

Note: Cricketahead would be starting a new blog that would be solely dedicated to the second edition of the Indian premier League under the heading IPLT20League. I wish all of you readers visit the bolg and comment on every post whatsoever and take that blog further as this particular blog. Thank you.

Hattrick For South Africa

2009-04-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

Finally the series has been yet again been captured by South Africa this time as well. This might have been expected by most but of course not by me. I had expected the ongoing one day series to be a reverse of the earlier series between the same two countries where Australia hosted South Africa. But, not anymore after the fourth one day match which unexpectedly the Proteas made it theirs. And much to my excitement, the Proteas deserved it. As it has been the mantra of the South Africans off late, slow and steady approach did the trick for the Proteas here at Port Elizabeth as well.

This time the performance of the South African players was even more better as compared to the third one day international. This time the South African hardly lost wickets. It was at the end of the 40th over that the fourth wicket fell for South Africa. This shows the dignity that the South African players maintained throughout the series after losing the test series 2-1. It was spectacular for South Africa to have won the T20 matches as well against despite their poor track record in this particular format. By doing this, the South Africans have yet again proved to be the toughest team in world cricket today.

The last time when the two teams met each other, and wherein South Africa beat Australia 4-1 in Australia, the Aussies, who were the number1 team until then had to slip to the second position. Now, with the loss to the same opponent yet again, Australia have dropped further in the latest one day rankings to the third position. Thanks to the series domination by Mahendra Singh Dhoni led team India that thrashed New Zealand 3-1 on their tour to the same. The only satisfaction for the Australian team at the moment is that they still continue to dominate in the test rankings, after South Africa lost 1-2 & missed the opportunity to make it theirs.

Another fact regarding South Africa's series win in the one day series is that the Proteas have won a one day international series against Australia for the third time in succession. If our memories are well enough, South Africa had beaten Australia 3-2 when Australia toured South Africa in march 2006, which witnessed the greatest one day international match in the history of the game. After that comes the 4-1 series win for South Africa during their tour of Australia. And now, South Africa have taken an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the series, thus making it a hattrick one day wins against Australia. Such a feat in the recent past has not taken place according to the best of my knowledge.

A Slow & Steady South Africa

2009-04-12T06:55:00.000-07:00

Well the third one day match between Australia and South Africa at Cape Town was just another example as to how a one day match is supposed to be played and not only that, but also how to win the same. Very rarely does one come across such cricket matches and more so in today's cricketing world. Either the matches are close encounters, with the team putting up a mammoth total and the other team giving up the chase in the beginning itself or, a team is on the rise since the first ball of the match, scrapping any guess work by the spectators who are watching the game.

It was a super cool play from the blades of Jacques Kallis and A B De Villiars who set up the tone for South Africa, by playing a rock solid innings for their team by ensuring that the team never lost wickets at regular intervals, like they were found doing in the first encounter, where the Proteas lost as many as 7 wickets between a score of 93 to 145. South Africa were found to crumble from 93/2 to a partly score of 145 all out in the first game, while chasing a stiff target of 287. But, this was not the way they played the third one day match.

It was the 114 run partnership between Jacques Kallis and AB De Villiars which set up the victory for the Proteas, and even though wickets fell for a partnership of just 30 or 40 that hardly made any difference for the South African team, for they were well set with a decent total in hand at the end of the day's play. Even Australia did the same, that is by putting up a decent partnership of 97 runs for the 6th wicket between Feguson and James Hopes. But, that came at an in appropriate time when it was a do or die position for Australia. Australia at one stage were found at 114/5.

When it came to the bowling of the Australian team, it was only Mitchell Johnson and none other.Had it not been for Johnson, one can imagine the plight of the Australian team. Probably, the South African total would have even crossed 300 I guess, had it not been for Mitchell Johnson. Anyway, ifs and buts would give a different result always. Now, I think South Africa indeed deserve to be the number one team in the world. Previously, it was that the Australian team has gone down in standards and not South Africa dominating. But, time and again, South Africans have proved this yet again after their victory in the 3rd one day.

Indians Haven't Learnt From The Past

2009-04-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

Well as the fear was still on, the most unexpected happened as far as the Indian team is concerned. Rain interrupts the match which has finally been forced to be declared as a draw, thus bringing all the good work from the Indian players and Gautam Gambhir especially to an abrupt end. Although nothing could be done regarding the pouring showers, something could have really been done by Mahendra Singh Dhoni in particular to see India sneek a 2-0 triumph. But, unfortunately that never meant so at Wellington. More of the blame from me would be on M.S.Dhoni for such a debacle.

For, this is not the first time that India have been a part of such an anti climax. Atleast not so if the past one year or so is taken into consideration for India. The last time, in the recent past, I still remember in the second test match against England in December last year, India lost an opportunity to win the series 2-0 and instead won it by 1-0. In the second test at Mohali, India imposed a target of 453 on the fifth, which was always threatened by showers to play a spoilsport and which actually happened. And the result as expected was accepted.

Despite rain interruptions since day 1 of that test match at Mohali, there was no point in imposing a mammoth target of 453, with just few hours of play left. A target of 453 would mean to England to be an impossible target which the England team eventually decided not to go chasing it. Likewise, if a feasible target was imposed, England would have made an attempt to chase down that target and a few tricks from the Indian bowlers would have got them the match. The thinking from Mahendra Singh Dhoni was no different this time either at Welington.

The game was in favor of team India since day 1. Not only did India score a decent 379, but also bowled the New Zealand side for a low score of 197, in the process taking a lead of 182 runs. This was the scenario at the end of the second day's play. So, with three more days of play still left and with hints of rain very much on the cards, a little bit of thinking from Dhoni was expected. A lesser target of somewhere around say 450 would have been ideal, taking into account the batting strength of the New Zealand side. Also, if not for Zaheer Khan, none of the Indian bowlers viz Ishanth Sharma, Munaf Patel were found bowling with a determination. Someone like Sachin was able to capture 2 wickets and the so called frontline bowlers could not do so.

So, it was not just rain that spoilt India's chance of taking a 2-0 win but also on the Indian team to a greater extent.

India Versus Weather?

2009-04-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

Well all tongues have started wagging in the favour of team India as favourites to win the test series against New Zealand in New Zealand may be for the first time in the history of Indian cricket if the experts are to be believed. And this looked pretty obvious and is still looking the same despite some or rather frequent disruptions from weather that is trying to play a spoilsport at Wellington. And even if rain or weather gods prefer New Zealand over India, the result sheet would still read "India have won the test series against New Zealand 1-0". The only disappointment would be due to the fact that despite fighting so hard a 2-0 result could not be achieved.

Had it been some two or three years down the lane, in the sense when it was either Rahul Dravid or Sourav Ganguly who were captaining the Indian side, even a 1-0 margin would have bought up smiles of joy on the faces of the Indian players. Because, that was all that the then Indian team under Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly or even Anil Kumble for that matter could do. But, that does not seem to be the case with Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Ever since he has captained the Indian side, the worst result he could expect was a draw. A loss to M S Dhoni is still far off I believe.

Ever since Mahendra Singh Dhoni has taken over from the shoes of Anil Kumble, or even earlier to that, the team has been not only victorious but also in a dominating position in every department of the game and in all three forms of the game too. The worst series result for M S Dhoni being the 1-0 series win against England where the second test ended in a draw. Otherwise it has been 1 out of 1 against the Proteas, two out of two against the Aussies, not two out of two against the Kiwis as well. Compared to Dhoni's, if Dravid is placed at the other end, his tally reads 1 out of 3 against England in 2007, 1 out of 4 against the West Indies in 2006 and a win in South Africa only to lose the 2nd and 3rd test.

Likewise, Anil Kumble has had successes like 1 out of 3 against Pakistan late 2007 followed by 2 draws against the Aussies in the B-G trophy in the tests which he captained. Well lets not go to the days where Mohammed Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly had captained the team. The weather is found threatening to see a 1-0 result for Dhoni as well. This being evident from the days 3 and 4 where play could not be completed as per plan. In case the weather behaves to be neutral, like the umpires on the field, then 2/2 for Dhoni thins time is already carved on stones. But, will that really happen? Lets wait and watch.

Would This Be Indeed Return Series For The Proteas?

2009-04-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well the ongoing one day series between Australia and South Africa is termed to be a return series between the two countries. Meaning, this series is the return of the Australian side to South Africa after the Proteas had their tour of Australia late last year. But, there is something more that this series can offer, which would justify the term "return series" that the series is referred to as right now by cricketing experts. The series has so far done exactly the opposite of what happened in the previous encounters between these two countries late last year. That is really fantastic.

If our memories are well intact, lets recall as to what happened in the last encounter between Australia and South Africa when the Proteas had their tour to Australia. First comes the test series where South Africa defeated Australia in the first two of the three test match series to take an unbeatable lead in that series, with Australia clinching the third one to take home a consolation victory if not a series win. The same thing happened to South Africa this time when Australia are on their tour to South Africa. Australia won the first two tests and the remaining inconsequential test being capped by the Proteas.

Then comes the T20 series which similar to the T20 series between Australia and South Africa on their tour to Australia had two T20 games. Both the T20 matches were won by South Africa, which was exactly opposite to what happened earlier. In the previous tour, Australia had won both the scheduled T20 matches against South Africa and now it is the turn of South Africa. Now the one day series is going on, with two of the five matches of the series already over. And as expected by me, both the one day matches that have got over have ended in the same manner. The series is now levelled 1-1 between the two countries.

This after South Africa handed a crushing defeat to Australia, by bowling them out for 131, from a stage where Australia were once at 19/5. The way the game was played might say whatever. But, the result is exactly opposite to the earlier one day series between the two countries. Even in the last series, Australia had won the second one day international after South Africa had pocketed the first one day match at Melbourne. May be the second encounter in that series was a close encounter wherein South Africa came too close to winning the match, which this time around it was a clean sweep for South Africa, wherein Australia were nowhere in the game.

So, if Australia can win the remaining three one day matches, this would be the best climax and can surely be called as the return series between Australia and South Africa.

A Crappy New Zealand Side

2009-04-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

Well this has become the fate of most of the major cricket playing countries may be since the introduction of the T20 format of the game and more so after the introduction of the devils of the game namely the IPL and ICL. None of the teams are found to put up a good performance for, their national side, the money that it offers is equivalent to a tip that either ICL or IPL offers. If not for Australia, South Africa and India, no other team in the world is today found playing good test cricket. If not, there was no reason absolutely for New Zealand to take the visitors for a ride at Willington.

Not only this, but New Zealand weren't even able to make the second test theirs despite having a 200+ run lead, wherein New Zealand could have even imposed a follow-on. The test went on to yield a null result when all the eyes were on the New Zealand team. The lag that India sufferred in the first innings of that test hardly matterred the Indians who were then under Virender Sehwag. As an Indian cricket fan, I should welcome that. But, as an avid cricket enthusiast, no. It was India who emerged the winers in that game, for they escaped from the jaws of defeat without any pressure upon them whatsoever.

That is a forgotten issue now. However, in the on going third and final test at Willington, the result seems obvious on the second day's play itself, where the New Zealand team crumbled like a baked cookie. It is just funny to even think about a team of the caliber of New Zealand to have had such a disastrous tour and that too being the hosts. The only cheers that the New Zealand team can boast about is owing to the fact that they didn't lose the first test by an innings but only by 10 wickets. The margin of victory being reduced and in turn the woes of the New Zealand team.

And the third test that is ongoing is giving hints of a 2-0 victory for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men. Whether India deserve the victory or not, Vettori does deserve to be on the losing side. It looks likt the motivating factor that the New Zealand team had in the 2007 world cup has gone away with Stephen Fleming. If the scoreboard cites the 9 wickets that India lost on day 1, the fact of 345 run on the board was also equally true. But, still, if Vettori deserves a pat on his back for getting India all out for 379, what has Vettori got to say regarding his batsman's debacle, who could pile up just 197 runs on the board? Now, the lead being 233, the match is bound to end on day four itself, taking into account New Zealand's first innings score.

Was this the way test matches were used to being played until the introduction of IPL and ICL?

A Lot Of Unexpecteds In A Month

2009-04-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

Well a month long break from blogging couldn't just keep my life going as it always does. And finally, I'm glad that I'm back to blogging on cricket and getting in touch with you friends who have helped me grow to this level. Anyway let me do something more worth than just going in for some unwanted publicity. In the last one month or so, the day since I had taken an indefinite break from blogging, a lot of unexpected turn arounds in the world of cricket have taken place, which I still repent for not being able to bring or share with you.

First of all would be the sad disastrous end to the test series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which witnessed the expected and just added fuel to fire, with most other countries getting more rigid with the plans of not to tour Pakistan may be anymore. The spontaneous reaction being from New Zealand, who immidiately decided to call off their tour to the country which was to be held in late this year. Thanks to some bloody miscreants who don't want Pakistan to showcast their skills on the cricket field. It was really sad that the miscreants didn't even spare the only country that sympathised Pakistan and decided to tour the trouble torn nation.

Next comes the height of politics in India that made its way even to cricket. Alas! the much awaited second edition of the Indian Premire League had to be held in South Africa. This I think is in no way different from the cricket in Pakistan, which was compromised to be played outside its nation like Sharjah and Abu Dabhi. This was a little bit expected and a more of a surprise, for that was the last expected from atleast the fans, who would have thought of making it to the stadium to get a glimpse of the games and a few others who would have wanted their faces to be shown on television sets by luck.

These were the most missed by me in the last one month. Also, there was the way the West Indies escaped with a series win, with team England being unable to grab two wickets on the final day, when the West Indies' scorecard read 114/8. It was England who held the upper hand in that particular match, but not in that particular series whatsoever. England were found paying the heavy price for the debacle that they underwent in the first game where they were all out for 51. This left the West Indies, who are (in the recent past) are known for saving the series rather than go in for a win to just see to that they draw the remainder of the test series and ensure that they take home the trophy. No matter what the spirit of the game says.

Lankans Deceived

2009-03-02T09:05:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a very long time since I last held a pen in my hand to blog something about cricket. But, I blame it all on the lack of some or any convincing turn around that really went on in the world of international cricket really. Still, I thought that waiting further for the same would just mean losing my fans who have encouraged me till here. So, I drew some points from the on going test series which featured Pakistan after almost a year or so. And they did the very same in a more decent manner whatsoever. The just showed the cricketing world that they haven't yet forgotten the game of cricket and test cricket in particular.

If Sri Lanka who were facing Pakistan after their debacle against India off late had two players, whom they had thought to have made a difference to their team, they were totally mistaken. For, even the Pakistani test team was well equipped with war heads like Younis Khan who put up a fighting triple century. In the process, Younis Khan became the third Pakistani batsmen to notch up a triple hundred. So, it is now left for the remaining subcontinental teams namely India and Sri Lanka to boast of another batsmen to have scored a triple hundered. Sri Lanka and India have two batsmen who have scored triple hundreds with Pakistan making it three.

For Pakistan, there have been three batsmen off late namely Hanif Mohammed, Inzamam Ul Haq and recently Younus Khan who have a double hundred against their name. While India have two triple hundreds, both of them being scored by Virender Sehwag alone and on the other hand, Sri Lanka too have two batsmen in Sanath Jayasuriya and Mahela Jayawardane to have notched up a triple hundred for their country. This has always been the case with a test match being held on Pakistani soil. Every match played on Pakistani soil becomes a batsmen's paradise and a bowlers' nightmare. More so in the India's tour of the country in early 2006.

In the first two of the three test matches, there were four Pakistani and two Indian batsmen who scored a hundred only to see the first encounter end in a draw. In the second encounter, debutant pacer R P Singh was named the man of the match in the drawn test for taking four wickets. This was the fate of test cricket. All that the first two test matches could witness was smashes from the bat of Shahid Afridi, who hit Harbhajan Singh for four consecutive sixes. And in the first test, Rahul Dravid and Virender Sehwag lost out on putting a record first wicket partnership of 413 when Virender Sehwag lost out hastingly when the scoreboard read 410.

Sri Lanka Did The Expected

2009-02-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

Well after losing the one day series to the visitors, Sri Lanka should have made up its mind to get up from the land of dreams and bring them into reality whatsoever. But, it looked that the SriLankans never ever wanted that to happen. For, forget about pocketing the T20 game they never did anything seriously in the match to trouble India. The times where India were found reeling was due to the fact that they made a mess of themselves and not because of some beautiful bowling from the Sri Lankan bowlers. So, it would not be wrong if one could say that even this match was one sided.

India winning against all odds has become a habit the day since the Aussie domination has started declining. And the only competent for India being South Africa, a series against the same is no where in the near future. Anyway, thats a different issue altogether. And, coming to the match, a close look at the Sri Lankan scorecard would suggest us that they did play a decent batting. But, is this enough in a T20 game? Just think yourself. India used exactly 5 bowlers who bowled their allotted 4 overs each. Meaning that the Indian captain never required the presense of a part time bowler.

Not exactly. The Sri Lankan batsmen never wanted or never forced Mahendra Singh Dhoni to go in for either Virender Sehwag or Yuvraj Singh to tackle the Sri Lankan batsmen. And instead went in for Ravindra Jadeja who was playing his maiden T20 match. This was the fate of the Sri Lankan team. The Indian bowlers never sufferred at the hands of the Sri Lankan batsmen whatsoever. And neither did the Indian batsmen against the Sri Lankan bowlers. They had plans for every bowler who would make it to the Indian batsmen. If not, what made Mahela Jayawardane go in for seven bowlers?

The only players who never had a ball were the captain himself who seldom bowls and the wicket keeper, whom if you ask him to bowl would show you replays when the ball was given to his hand. But, please don't laugh when that happens. And despite all these, Mahela Jayawardane could not stop the Indian batsmen nor could he stop himself from going first to the presentation party to have a word with Arun Lal. And this I guess was probably the one which prompted him to announce his retirement from captaincy. Not a bad move at all. There is Kumara Sangakkara ready in all aspects. I really pity the Sri Lankan team.

Something Funny indeed

2009-02-16T06:29:00.000-08:00

Well all of us are aware of the fate of the second test between the West Indies and England at Antigua, which was abandoned owing to a sandy pitch that got even more worse when the rains poured down. The two test matches have been able to raise eyebrows whatsoever. The first instance being that West Indies unexpectedly won the first test match and that too by a one sided innings. And not only that. West Indies bowled out England out for a partly score of 51, with six of the English batsmen being out for a duck and only Andrew Flintoff could manage to cross the double figure mark.

Had this been the performance by the West Indies team, it would not have made much news, for in the recent past they have been doing that regularly. The last time the West Indies hosted England, they were all out for a score of less than 100 on two occasions. One instance saw the West Indies crumble for a score of just 47, the match in which England's Mathew Hoggard took a hattrick. Then in the same series, the West Indies were all out for 94, which England won by 10 wickets. In that season, England beat the West Indies on 7 out of 8 tests, with one test being drawn (the match where Brian Lara scored 400*).

It is still not clear as to what was responsible for the English debacle in the first. Some blame it on the IPL. But, still I cannot figure out what had the IPL got to do with their debacle in that test. Anyway, coming to the second test, this was the first test that I ever saw where the pitch preparation was so bad. I wonder as to what on earth forced the curator of the pitch to go in for such irresponsible duties, where a pitch becomes so sandy. Had the curators predicted that there would be no rains absolutely and their hidden truth guilt would never ever be exposed?

Nothing can be ruled out in today's world of cricket. This was something similar to the Sydney test controversy in early 2008 where the onfield as well as the third umpire witnessed an eclipse which no other in the world could. Probably, the umpires had gone blind or had they forgotten the rules of the game of cricket is yet to be known. The situation is no different in the second test where a pitch not even suitable for gully cricket is being prepared. Might be that the curators were new to the job of preparing the pitch. This made me burst into laughter.

Consolation To Sri Lanka

2009-02-11T21:27:00.000-08:00

Finally, the most unexpected happens for team India as well as for Sri Lanka. India, who were thought to successfully beat the Sri Lankans 5-0 at the end were found to lose the final game at Colombo. And Sri Lanka on the otherhand who thought would lose all five games ended up winning the fifth and final one dayer. And, much to one's surprise Sri Lanka not only won the fifth and the final one day international match at Colombo but also put up a decent total on the board for the Indians to chase. Had this been the first game of the series or even a game wherein Sri Lanka was well alive in the series, things would have been probably different.

The inconsequential aspect turned things around for the Sri Lankans I suppose. Of course Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men would have surely had things to whitewash the Sri Lankans in their mind before going into the last inconsequential game at Colombo. But, if their body language of the Indian players on the field is taken into consideration, that never ever seemed so. I think that this was the one which set the tone for Sri Lanka to avoid being whitewashed at the hands of the Indians. Else, things would have been different I suppose. So, the match could rather be seen as a gift from M S Dhoni to Jayawardane.

It hardly makes any sense to view the match to be won by Sri Lanka. A perfect view would be that India lost the match to Sri Lanka. For, Sri Lankan bowlers who were equipped with Muttiah Muralitharan and Farveez Maharoof could not even contain a debutant Ravindra Jadeja who went on to score his unbeaten maiden half century that was aided with the help of 5 hits to the fence. With this being the case, it would be foolish for one to think that Sri Lankans held an upper hand in this particular match. And how can one ever think such a team to return home with a victory?

Just take a look at the bowlers that the Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni used against the Sri Lankans. People like Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Rohith Sharma who were never found to bowl in international cricket were given the ball. And the Indian captain used as many as 8 bowlers, with the captain himself and Gautam Gambhir being exceptions. Now, it is left for you people to decide as to how come the Sri Lankans could manage such a decent target when they were hardly in the game when things really mattered? With such a depleted bowling attack by team India, the Sri Lankand team total should have crossed 400. And 320 is never close to the expected total. I wish the Sri Lankans just cool their heels rather than relishing their victory in the match.

Sr Lankan Ship Sinks Further

2009-02-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

Well one gone then two followed by three and now, it has been four. So, cricket is found to be so boring with the Sri Lankans in the recent past that forget about winning or a decent encounter, even a positive approach to the game is a thing of the past. After looking at the current one day series against, it is still not been able for me to figure out as to how the Sri Lankans could manage a series win against Pakistan off late. Forget about the series against India. Even against some lower based teams like Zimbabwe and Bangladesh were more than enough to pose problems for the Sri Lankans.

More cricket for Sri Lanka at the moment is found to be more worries and nothing else. A team in India scores a massive score of 332 despite winning the series 3-0 and Sri Lanka are least bothered to even chase the target down. All they were found doing was just trying to draw a test match and nothing else. It all lied in the bowling departmant of Sri Lanka where each and every bowler gets belted. All that the match could produce was Muralitharan's 503rd wicket. Thank god that at last Muralitharan found something for him atleast. Finally you've done it Murali!!!

Coming to the match, there was only one bowler in Sanath Jayasuriya who could end up with runs-per-over of 5.6 (less than 6 runs per over). And Sanath Jayasuriya being the one of the bowler to have bowled less than 10 overs raises some doubts about Mahela Jayawardane's captaincy as well as player handling skills. And in the bowling department of the Indians, even part time bowlers like Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh can be of some contribution. And new comers like Pragyan Ojha and Yousuf Pathan too pose a threat to the Sri Lankan batsmen I believe. So, what can be said of a team like this?

I wish the Sri Lankans had come to this match to face bowlers like Suresh Raina and Rohith Sharma who are rarely given the ball. Or may be even they could end up successful against the Sri Lankan batsmen who knows? All that was required for Sri Lankans to be found kicking themselves were just three Indian batsmen namely Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina towards the end of the Indian innings. The aforementioned players added 294 runs and the rest added just 14 runs, with extras having been 25. So, this means that the Sri Lankans were never mentally prepared to return to international cricket by any means. India might have won the series against Sri Lanka but, it has failed in selecting a decent opposition against which a thrill could have been expected.

Sri Lanka Gives Up The Chase

2009-02-09T21:10:00.000-08:00

A loss at the hands of team India in the first one day international at Dambulla makes Sri Lanka more determined to face the challenge in the second one day international, which they end up losing despite a decent team plan in chasing a comparitively low of 257 when they fall just short by 15 runs. So,this time in the third one day international, all eyes should have been on Sri Lanka who were expected after the second one day match to make things difficult for India. And Oh my god!what a surprise? What happened was exactly opposite of their expectation.

Sri Lanka seemed to have all lost even before the match started I guess. For, if not, it would not have been possible for the Indians especially Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag to blast the Sri Lankan bowlers all over the stadium. Lack of planning and prior to this , lack of interest on the Sri Lankan part was India's gain I can say. Loss in the first two one day internationals made Sri Lankans reluctant to go in for the third. A defeat was thought to be on the cards even before the Sri Lankan players stepped into the field.

Just two of the Indian batsmen were more than enough for th Sri Lankan bowlers equipped with Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis (who were thought to be Sri Lanka's main weapons before the series began) to destroy the opposition. And coming to the second part of the match, the Sri Lankan batting absolutely showed no signs of chasing the mammoth total as expected. All that the match could offer was to see some great batting display from the blades of Yuvraj SIngh and Virender Sehwag and Yousuf Pathan towards the fag end of the Indian innings. A little bit of effort from the Sri Lankan batsmen could have made the day for cricket fans.

Now that Sri Lanka have lost the third one day international against India and with it the series as well, it would not be right to expect Sri Lanka to come back and win the next two one day matches for, Sri Lanka never approached the game with a positive mind when things really mattered, a guess would reveal about their approach to the remainder of the series. Probably, Sri Lanka might offer India a 5-0 whitewash. None of the Sri Lankan players are really found equipped with the challenge of destroying the opposition, since rhe day they have been playing against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh late last year. And Muralitharan is yet to get his 500th wicket. When can we expect that?

A Mess Finds Sri Lanka Fall Just Short

2009-02-07T04:25:00.000-08:00

After the thrashing that the Sri Lankan cricket team got in the first one day international at Dambulla, the second one day international match between the same saw Sri Lanka getting into the contest to draw something from their opposition. But, at the end of the day, all that the Sri Lankans could end up doing was to just curse themselves for coming so close to winning the game and yet again ending up as losers. This is not professional at their peak. For, the good work went unnoticed and deserving or undeserving Sri Lankans had no other choice but to accept defeat.

Though the second innings started rather shaky, the Sri Lankans continued to battle it out with a century stand between captain Mahela Jayawardane and Kandamby for the fourth wicket. And the equation was always in abalance between both India and Sri Lanka for most part of the game and Sri Lanka could have grabbed away the match at any time possible. But, that never happened. This is called as lack of preparedness on the part of the Sri Lankans. After the fall of Kapugedra, there was no one to lead the tempo going on despite Kandamby at the other end.

All the batsmen who followed Kapugedra ended their innings in a single digit. None of them could support Kandamby who not only lost out on scoring a century, but also was disappointed for ending on the losing side. There were three run outs in the Sri Lankan innings namely that of Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis and Kulashekara, whose contribution with the bat would have seen Sri Lanka through that match. This also meant that Kandamby could not get his hundred for no fault of his. Such hasty decisions at most times could be foolish as it has been in the past. One has to watch out for videos of Australia's Michael Beaven and Steve Waugh who can hold their breath despite wickets falling at the other end.

It is still in the memories of many cricket fans, the way Steve Waugh in the super sixes of the 1999 world cup at England, when his team was reeling at 135/5 chasing a target of 272 against South Africa who were undefeated until then, finally won the match by 5 wickets, which set the tone for the Aussies to win the world cup. And the way Michael Beaven batted despite pressure in the semis of the 1996 as well as 1999 world cup could be of some inspiration. And more recently, New Zealand defeated Australia in the penultimate ball of the innings with just two wickets remaining. Perhaps, had this been the approach of the Sri Lankans, the result would have been different.

Where Have The Remaining Ten Gone?

2009-02-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

Well at last, after much of the fuss, the first one day international match between India and SriLanka takes place at Dambulla. But, this as per my view or opinion, is not that great start for the series. For, the series expected a lot of expectations regarding some blistering fireworks from the blades of Sanath Jayasuriya. of course, Sanath Jayasuriya did fire with his bat despite being aged close to 40. But, I think that it is now necessary that one has to remind Sri Lanka that there are as many as eleven players in the team rather than only one man who id supposed to show his greatness with the bat.

From the Indian point of view, I can just relax for, it is my country who has made its day and as expected, India did win the match. But, if one is a real follower of the game of cricket, he would be surely interested in playing or watching someone play good and exciting cricket on the field rather than just wait or pray that his team wins no matter what. And this is what the game of cricket is all about. How can one expect someone to compromise with some thrilling stuff in return for a boring encounter like it happened at the Dambulla in the first one day international? Only three out of seven batsmen out there came out with some decent performances on the field.

could be considered to be a bowler rather than as a batsman. So, in the sense, only Out of the three batsmen whio showcast their skills with the bat, one of them- Farveez MaharoofSanathJayasuriya and Kumara Sangakkara were really worth the praise and regarding other batsmen it was just like "fill in the blanks". If such is the performance of the Sri Lankan batsmen on their home ground in Sri Lanka, what else can be expected from them and what is the mistake of the Indians who can well walk away with the victory in their hand from the very first one day international?

If this is the kind of opposition that some team in India, who are riding very high on their confidence after whitewashing England 5-0 in November, it would not be a big task for them to take over the Sri Lankans who are running very very low after their recent loss at the hands of Bangladesh and their dismal performances against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe where Sri Lanka had a last gasp for victory. Sri Lanka never ever tried to correct their mistake and in turn continued to do the same and this is what they have landed with. A rather humiliating defeat against a team which lost miserably in the finals of the Asia cup 2008. So, better luck next time Sri Lankans.

India Spoil Pakistan's Party

2009-02-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

Well it is still an undisclosed fact as to why did team India ever decide of touring Sri Lanka when the ICC tours calender never had any plans of that sort. Of course there was a void left in the cricketing calender of the BCCI with the tour of Pakistan being sacrificed to the Mumbai terror strikes on 26/11. Anyway, Pakistan after a year long gap gone without any sorts of decent international cricket, had planned well in advance much more earlier than the Indians did, when they decided to go ahead with playing Sri Lanka once the Indian tour got canceled.

Is it a coincidence that India have decided to tour Sri Lanka or is it just that India just wants to seek revenge against Pakistan in whatever way possible? A sweet and non voilent revenge on the Indian counterparts eh? Not bad. This forced the Sri Lankans to end their tour of Pakistan as early as possible. Sri Lanka and Pakistan played the scheduled three one day internationals in a span of just four days. While, in case of other tri nation tournaments, the tour lasts atleast a week if there are two days gap between each one day international match.

If at all the gap left out by the cancellation of India's tour to Pakistan has to be filled, India could have well gone in for some other team like there were the Bangladeshis who were jobless at the moment, very much fresh from their recent exploitation of the weak Sri Lankan team. This assuming that the Sri Lankan tour of Pakistan was booked far earlier compared to the Indians. If not Bangladesh, there were Zimbabwe & South Africa in addition to other non test playing nations. And how come the teams-India & Sri Lanka are found relaxing after every match while as said the Sri Lanka-Pakistan series was decided and concluded hastily?

And why should the void ever be filled, when last year when the ICC Champions Trophy that was to be held in Pakistan was cancelled all the teams over the world were just warming their bodies at home. Neither did the ICC nor did the other cricket nations ever decide about holding other tournaments like, they could have held another series of the IPL. The second in the year 2008. All of a sudden, why such hasty decisions? Now, the test series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan has been scheduled on 22nd of this month. But, it would be worth to think about it only after it really happens. I'm sorry. Only when the series gets concluded.

Finally Pakistan Pay The Price

2009-02-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

The third one day international saw Pakistan pay a heavy price for what they have been doing since a year or so. A year long rest proves very crucial for the Pakistanis. For, when they are back to their playing days, they can hardly afford to crack the opposition in any manner in any department of the game. A 234 run defeat at the hands of the Sri Lankans is something unbearable whatsoever. For, even the 245 run defeat at the hands of Sri Lankans some nine years ago was unacceptable and this led to so many changes to the then Indian team. Members of the team like Nayan Mongia and Vinod Kanbli never ever tended to look back after sometime from the day they registered this huge defeat.

Pakistan fell just short of making into the record books for having a defeat of the highest margin in one day cricket as far as only the test playing teams of the world are considerd. Of course there have been instances where India imposed a 257 run defeat over Bermuda in the World Cup 2007 and in 2003 world cup, Australia inflicted a mammoth defeat of 256 runs. For the sake of stats, India has the record of inflicting the highest ever margin of defeat against any team in the world. And at the same time, India is the victim of having been beaten by a world record margin despite playing test cricket for years altogether.

It is still not understandable as to what was going on in the minds of the Pakistani cricketers which saw them succumb to such a low total of 75 while Sri Lanka's team total went well past 300. The variation between the performances of these two teams should be indeed given a re think whatsoever. If the past performances between Sri Lanka and Pakistan is taken into consideration, Pakistan should have had an upper hand in this match. Especially after their 8 wicket victory in the first one day international at Karachi. Pakistan have won the last 7 out of the 10 one day matches played against Sri Lanka. The three losses being in the third one dayer in the three match ODI series that followed after the world cup 2007 and two in the current series.

Despite for not having been playing cricket for a year long time, Pakistan managed to beat the West Indies 3-0 during their tout in Abu Dhabi convincingly. Of course they should have and have beaten Bangladesh and Zimbabwe 5-0 each. But, it is still not clear as to what happened to the Pakistanis when they faced a team which struggled against minnows Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in all the games they have faced each other. It is a wonder for a team to beat Pakistan after having the matches against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh in a toss. A loss to Sri Lanka meant the end of theor successful one day campaign of having won 14 one day internationals in a row. Pakistan beat Bangladesh and Zimbabwe 5-0 and the West Indies 3-0 and Sri Lanka in the first encounter before losing the second and third one.

Sri Lanka Just Unpredictable

2009-01-31T07:03:00.000-08:00

Well just a day before the second one day international match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, all words were against Sri lanka, not only for their loss to Pakistan in the first one day international, but also their dismal performance against minnows Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. But, as the game of cricket itself is unpredictable, more predictable is the way the Sri Lankans play their cricket. First, they beat even the strongest of all cricketing nations and later, they are found to succumb even against a mere team. This was the reason as to why their world cup victory in 1996 against Australia at Lahore raised so many eyebrows.

barring Australia, when most of the cricket fans over the world had restricted them to just the super eights. And once again, after the world cup, the Also the way they beat most of the major teams in the ICC world cup 2007 at the CarribeanSri Lankans were back to their old routine of losing. They lost matches to India and Australia in the Common Wealth Bank series 2008, where Sri Lanka didn't even make it to the finals. This was followed by losses to the West Indies as well. Then, suddenly they end up the winners of the Asia cup in Pakistan.

And this time, if one takes a close look at the way they lost the first one day match at the hands of Pakistan, not many people would have ever thought of Sri Lanka winning the second one day match at Karachi. And Sri Lanka did just that. Not only did they win that match, but also the margin of victory was as convincing either. A huge margin of 129 runs, with the Pakistani batsmen being bowled out for a score of less than 200. Amazing!!! This they did against a team that won all the three matches against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi last year.

A team in Pakistan who can boast of being one of the teams to play spin with ease gave MuttiahMuralitharan a reason to party. Not much was expected for the Sri Lankans if not for a decent loss at the hands of the Pakistanis. But, much to our surprise, the Sri Lankans overcame their dismal performance against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe thus stunning the entire world. None of the Pakistani batsmen could really stand up with courage to face the Sri Lankan bowlers and give them even a moment to think. It was as though the Sri Lankans were there to just dictate the Pakistani batsmen with a ball in their hand.

Pakistan Back With A Bang

2009-01-31T06:39:00.000-08:00

It looks as though the Pakistanis can never get rid of making blasts. For the wrong blasts that the country has been responsible for since a year or so, which in turn forced the ICC to yield to the security concerns of Australia, England and South Africa later, which ended in the ICC dismissing Pakistan as a venue for the ICC champions trophy 2008 and scheduled in 2009 at the same venue. But, now Pakistan team is found making news for blasts, and just relax for this time it is for the right reasons. Pakistan blasted Sri Lanka in the first one day international at Karachi by 8 wickets.

All Sri Lanka could afford to do was to be a mute spectator on the field, with Salman Butt belting the ball into the boundary. All that the Sri Lankans could afford was just 2 wickets that cane at the fag end of the Pakistan innings, when a Pakistani win was almost hit the headlines of newspapers. It was a real pity to see the aged Sanath Jayasuriya run to the boundary and do the job of a ball boy whenever Salman Butt hit the ball over the ropes. The first wicket fell when the scorecard read 168 from 37.1 overs and the second one at 205 at 43.2 overs.

It was not that Sri Lankans were not in the game since the start. A close look at the start of the game,which saw Sanath Jayasuria and Tilakeratne Dilshan hammer the ball frequently over the ropes was just amazing. It all started with the fall of these two stalwarts, which saw a total batting collapse on the Sri Lankan part. Some rarely known name in Iftikhar Anjum made most of the opportunity to become the leading wicket taker in the match by ending with figures of 4/42. Then another new comer in Khurram Manzoor scored 83 which involved a 168 run opening wicket partnership with Salman Butt.

Well, it was just obvious for, the Sri Lankans had to earn every run and every wicket when they recently played Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. They struggled to win against Zimbabwe and there was also a loss at the hands of the Bangladeshis. This tale was more than enough for the reason as to why the Sri Lankan batting ha such a collapse. It is a wonder as to how come the Sri Lankans managed to take two Pakistani wickets. This was indeed an achievement on the Sri Lankan part. For this, the Sri Lankans should feel ralaxed and should be proud that the Pakistanis did not finish off the game in just 35-40 overs.

Cricket Flourishing In Bangladesh?

2009-01-22T00:29:00.000-08:00

Well the second one day international between Zimbabwe and Bangladesh might not have been able to evoke as much interest among the cricket fans whatsoever. However, if one goes by my opinion, this is one of the ideal one day match that is rarely seen in today's cricketing world. With the current one day matches being either one sided, like it happened in the recently concluded one day series between India and England, where India won all the five one day matches that were played and England had no option than to congratulate the Indians. Yuvraj Singh and Virender Sehwag especially.

scorecard reading 6 runs for the loss of five wickets in their run chase? How many of us thought that This was not the case with the recently concluded tri series involving Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. As expected by most, Sri lanka did win the finals against Bangladesh to lift the trophy. However, how many of us did expect Sri Lanka to keep their fingers crossed in the finals when they were chasing a modest total of 152 and in the process losing 8 wickets, with Sri Lankan scoreboard at one time reading 6 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. How many of us thought that Sri Lanka would lose the match to Bangladesh in the league stages? All these unexpected did happen, when most of us had termed this series to be a bored one and a predictable one.

All eyes were glued to and all minds thinking about the ongoing one day series between Australia and South Africa on the other side of the globe. This should have been the encounter that most of the cricket fans should have watched if at all they were really interested in watching an exciting game of cricket. But, to the best of my knowledge, this was not the case. Well, things might not be the same always. The next or the coming one dayers may be back to the old days of boredom.Even the Zimbabweans, who are found playing cricket once in a bluemoon were found to give the Sri Lankans and the Bangladeshis a run for their money.

A match that was termed as an obvious Sri Lankan apple pie finally had to be grabbed by SriLankans. Probably, the Sri Lankans would have defeated some stronger teams like India, England, West Indies and New Zealand more convincingly than they did against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. It is high time that teams like Bangladesh try and win games against other teams as well and in other counteies as well, so that the world of cricket would be gifted with another major team to watch out. And the sub continent would have four nations which are equally competent. If the current form of the Bangladeshi players is taken, they stand as a better team compared to West Indies and New Zealand. But, still more is expected.

Proteas Miss Out Yet Again

2009-01-19T07:25:00.000-08:00

It was frustrating to see the to be number one team in world fails to chase a mean total of 250, when it can boast of having been the record holder of the highest run chase. Now, one can draw the conclusion that South Africa can come out with surprises only when the stars favour them. They can upset a great nation only when the latter has reduced itself in its standards yet again. If not, how come the team fails to tackle the Australian bowling which did not consist experienced lads like Brett Lee, Shaun Tait and Shane Watson? This can very tell us the tale of a South African team which can make hay only when the sun shines. Not otherwise.

Even though they won the first encounter against Australia at Hobart, the South Africa were really gasping for breath in an attempt to chase 271. On the other hand, a total of 271 from a team that were under pressure to perform and for a team that never had or hardly had any frontline batsmen to face the myth of Dale Steyn and Morkel, with the presence of an all rounder in Jaques Kallis was something unexpected from the South Africa. And a close look at the way the Proteas chased down the target would give us a clear picture of where the Proteas stand as far as the number one team is considered. The South African team had to wait for the number 8 batsman in Albie Morkel to end victorious.

This was not all. A newcomer in Shaun Marsh comes out with a brilliant knock of 79 off 103 balls, where he is sent in to face the new ball. Despite a good start, South Africa ends up on the losing side. Is this the professional cricket what South Africa is supposed to play? The South African innings saw a 135 run second wicket partnership between Gibbs and Kallis. Out of this 135 run partnership, Kallis has his own score of 72 and Herscelle Gibbs facing just 37 balls. South Africa just couldn't convert the"close to the target" situation to a victory. This is the problem that the to be number one team is found to face.

South Africa had wickets in hand and so did they have the habit to choke, which they have been doing since they entered ino the international arena. This time also the South Africa were too generous in giving lives to the top rungetters in the match namely Ricky Ponting and Shaun Marsh. The funda of taking the third powerplay by the South Africans in the 45th over was just not acceptable. Just because things went alright for South Africa in the first one dayer at Hobart (where the South Africans took the third power play in the 45th over) how could one think that it would be the same at Melbourne too? Such stupid decisions can ensure a team to be on the top, probably, Bangladesh would have made it to the number one spot whetever.

Australia & South Africa Exchange Gifts At Melbourne

2009-01-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

Well if one can give a detailed look at the first one day match between Australia and South Africa, it would be just an exchange of gifts between each other at Melbourne. The match can just be called as the opposite of a tug of war, where at both ends, immense efforts are made to end up as the winner. Whereas here, both the teams do equal mistakes, and finally at the end of the game, as per the rule, there has to be one winner, which in this case turns out to be South Africa. Neither was Australia weak and South Africa strong and not even otherwise for that matter.

Both Australia and South Africa were equally benefited by the mistakes that were performed by their opponents. Starting with Australia, they had entered into the competition with an inexperienced squad, with only the skipper Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke being exceptions. For, they were the only two players who had played well over 100 one day matches in the Australian squad. With such a squad, this Australian team could manage a decent score of 271 at the end of the game. OK..Mike Hussey could be well exempted from this lot, given his temperament with the bat. The rest of them were just there to fill the vacancies.

Imagine how? Not because the Australian team inspite of young players in the squad were hard working or something. This was solely possible because on an average, each Australian was given a life by the South African bowlers that the Australian batsmen made much use of. First of this comes the way Ricky Ponting and David Hussey's run outs were missed by debutant Vaughn van Jaarsveld. Another mis match is the one where the same Vaughn van Jaarsveld dropped two chances off one delivery, wherein he dropped a catch of Ricky Ponting and then misses out on a run out the same delivery.

Other chances for the Australians include Marsh's run out. Then in the South African side, it was nice to see the fall of wickets in their innings, when the score board that at one time read 213/3 at the end of 41st over was found to read 219/6 at the end of 23rd over. A match that South Africa should have won even more convincingly had been won with much hiccups. The South Africans are themselves to blame for this debacle whatsoever. Finally, neither could South Africa make hay out of an inexperienced Australian squad nor could Australia prove to be problems of any sort to the Proteas after a series of missed run outs and drop catches.

What Is Going On In The ECB?

2009-01-16T06:56:00.000-08:00

Well it is really interesting at times and somewhat confusing at other times regarding the politics that is found to be going on in the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB). First of those being that the then England skipper Kevin Pietersen was not happy with the selectors excluding the former England captain Michael Vaughan for the one day series against the West Indies. Than comes in the news that Pietersen does not have the patience or has lost patience with the then coach Peter Moores. The reason of the same yet to be disclosed. It was like the Indian team that returned successfully after failing to make it to the super eights of the ICC world cup 2007 in the Caribbean and cites the cause for the same to be the then coach Greg Chappell.

Now, even the present England team is found to do the same. And if the recent newspapers are to be believed, it was said that Kevin Pietersen wanted to resign from the captaincy during the first test against India in Mohali itself. One has to wonder really as to why this took such a long time to come to light. And was Kevin Pietersen aware that the ECB would drop or not include the former captain Michael Vaughan for the tour of the West Indies? If this is true, how great it is. Well, was this the reason as to why the England team failed to win the Chennai test despite putting up a mammoth total of 387 on the board for India to chase on the fifth day, which India did with ease?

And, days later after the exclusion of Vaughan, Kevin Pietersen wants the coach Peter Moores to be sacked. I wonder as to whether Moores is the coach of the England team or a member of ECBs selection panel? What has Peter Moores got to do with the exclusion of Michael Vaughan? May be, who knows! For, some say that it was the then India coach Greg Chappell who was responsible for Sourav Ganguly's sacking for the games against Sri Lanka in 2005. And why shouldn't this be another such issue? It would be interesting to wait and watch out for what all is yet to come out.

As a protest, Kevin Pietersen resigns from captaincy and even threats to quit from the squad if Vaughan doesn't be included and Peter Moores sacked. In response, the ECB selects Andrew Struass as the new captain for the England team that would tour the West Indies and then for the upcoming Ashes this summer. Finally, the ECB sacks the coach Peter Moores too. But, Kevin Pietersen is still not happy with the ECB. Vaughan is to be back for playing in the Ashes. Still Kevin Pietersen is not convinced! Either the coach should have been retained or, the coach sacked and Pietersen retained as the England captain. How come both happenning? Like KP not satisfied with coach Peter Moores, is the ECB too dissatisfied with Kevin Pietersen as the captain? If his birth place (RSA) and his success as captain goes by, even this cannot be ruled out.

Why Is Dravid Being Made The Scapegoat?

2009-01-15T20:32:00.000-08:00

The picture is right in front of us, after the first inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. Royal Challengers Bangalore finished last but one, only ahead of Deccan Chargers. This would obviously hurt, irritate and even make the sponsorer go mad, after investing the second highest amount in the tournament/league. For, Vijay Mallya invested a huge 442 crores for Royal Challengers team, that was just one crore less than that invested for the Mumbai Indians which was 443 crores. Well, that is not the discussion of the hour. All that Vijay Mallya could do was to sack the team manager Charu Sharma. Not a bad move, though not a good one.

And the recent news was that Rahul Dravid would no more be leading the side. In other words, Rahul Dravid's credibility in taking his team forward is being questioned by the owner. And more over, its been a buzz that Rahul Dravid has even been put up for sale. No idea regarding how true the story is. However, this is not good news and not fair on the part of Vijay Mallya. For, it was only because of Dravid that Royal Challengers ended a place above the Deccan Chargers. Else, the team would have been placed at the last position. No doubt that Dravid's style of play is more suited for the test cricket and not for T20 game which is the one concerned.

But, if Dravid can adapt himself to this format of the game, which is not considered his cup of tea, it really deserves much applause for it. I think it is still in the memories of Vijay Mallya the way Rahul Dravid snatched victory against the runners up of the tournament- Chennai Superkings, when all would have thought otherwise. And the way he belted an unbeaten 75 off just 35 balls against the champions- Rajasthan Royals is something noteworthy. All these with the above mentioned fact that he is a test player basically. Still if Vijay Mallya thinks of axing Dravid and even tries to get rid of him by auctioning him, I feelt that Mallya's cricketing knowledge has to be reconsidered.

If Dravid has to be axed, if Vijay Mallya is to be believed, so should be Wassim Jaffer and Sunil Joshi. And god knows as to what made Vijay Mallya think of having Zaheer Khan sacked inspite of him being among the leading wicket takers in that edition? And how successsful was Robin Uttappa in the Mumbai Indians' side? Why doesn't Vijay Mallya curse himself for bidding money on players like Sunil Joshi, Virat Kohli and Wassim Jaffer who don't even have the ability to stand for a long time like in test matches, forget about a T20 bash? If this is the way someone like Vijay Mallya thinks, I wish even the IPL chaiman Lalit Modi should consider sacking Mallya as a sponsorer who does not know to pick the right players for the game. But, money makes many things.

An Incomplete Tour Comes To An End

2009-01-14T08:54:00.000-08:00

Well at last, the West Indies' tour of New Zealand comes to an end. A winner at the end of an incomplete tour turns out to be New Zealand who were very fortunate to have had that taste in such a boring encounter whatsoever. Else, who does bother as to who wins or who loses at the end of the day. All would be looking forward as to when would such a series come to an end. And not only that. All would be praying that such a series never takes off anywhere in the world. Let alone in New Zealand. I think this is the first time I have ever come across such a series, where only one match turns out not to be truncated.

This was the case since the test series began. Both the tests not only ended in a draw, but also were truncated and compromised with rain gods. Then, the first T20 game happens to be a tie, wherein the super over had to come into the scene in order to decide as to who the official winner was. However, the next T20 game was played full fledged, with New Zealand winning the same. Then, the one day matches come into picture, to disappoint the fans. Not even one single one day match went on as per scheduled. Since the first one day match, either the matches have been truncated or have been cancelled.

The scheduled five one day series was eventually played as a three match one day series. Thanks to the rain gods for making this series a memorable one for different reasons. While, the remaining three one day encounters were truncated, with the West Indies winning one and New Zealand two. This was something like a lucky dip, where New Zealand won the lot. Well, until the four one day matches, it was all disappointment. However, the fifth one day match was expected to take off as per schedule. Yes it did! How long? Until West Indies put up a massive total of 293 and New Zealand started playing hide n seek before once again rain gods did their duty.

Adding to this was the caliber of the teams battling it out there. Rather than considering West Indies to be one spot above New Zealand, better say the New Zealand are placed one position below the West Indies at number 8. This would be the ideal statement. There is no point in disputing the Duckworth-Lewis method, for none of us can come out with a better idea. Neither can one stop the showers, like making it to rain when there are no rains by rain seeding. Technology needs to be improved. Thank god that the West Indies-New Zealand series is over.

India, South Africa & England!

2009-01-12T07:08:00.000-08:00

Well the post title might not give you a clear idea as to what does one mean by the title. But, people, please have some patience, for more thrill is yet to come. Hmm..keeping all those guess works apart, the three teams that have been named in the post title are the ones that have defeated the Australian team when it was topping ICC test ratings. This has been from the day India beat Australia in the Border Gavaskar trophy 2008 and it went deeper in my minds when even South Africa beat them (Aussies) in their own backyard. And one more team that beat Australia off late is England way back in 2005, in the Ashes that yer by a margin 2-1. It is only these three teams who have enjoyed the distinction of having beaten Australia between 2003 till date.

My doubt is which one holds a better place in the minds of the cricket fans? For, none of these victories are mean achievements. First, let us take the Ashes victory of England against.....no need to mention. Positives being that England beat the Australian team that was in full swing in 2005. At that time England had even whitewashed other teams like New Zealand(3-0), West Indies (4-0 & 3-0), Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. So, that is enough to show that even England was in full swing as was Australia. And another aspect being that, the then Australian team had Shane Warne in his glorious form. However, Glenn McGrath was fortunately absent for both the matches that England won. And England won both the matches by a whisker. The second match by 2 runs, and the fourth one by 3 wickets (with the target being just 130). And as a matter of fact, Australia won the first match by 239 runs. However, the third and the fifth tests were dominated by England, when they had a first innings lead in both the games.

Next on the list comes team India, who have defeated Australia more than anyone else (between 2003-till date). India have beaten Australia five times as compared to two each by England and South Africa. In 2003, India displayed a team effort, with all the batsmen in Sehwag,Laxman, Sachin,Ganguly and Dravid were equally excellent, and with the spin combo of Anil & Harbhajan to support them. India, in that series, had also almost pulled off a win at Sydney too. However, things were cool for India, for Glenn McGrath never featured in that series. Shane Warne however was of little worry for the Indian batsmen. Then, when India won the fourth test at Nagpur, India had already lost the series in 2004 (when Oz visited India in Oct 2004), and the margin of victory was very small (13 runs). Though India had an upper hand in the second test at Chennai, which was drawn owing to rains on the fifth day, when India needed 239 runs to win with 10 wickets in hand. One thing that is to be thought about is "Would have Australia lost the fourth test, had it lost the second one at Chennai?"The factor is still not clear.

The third one, ie the Perth test victory was somewhat better, for it was in Australia and India were under pressure after the Sydney test episode. Still, that was the beginning of the end of Aussie dominance. Then, in the recent B-G trophy, in addition to Australia's decline and the absence of Glenn McGrath & Shane Warne, India were playing Oz at home, which is an added advantage. With these factors, India should have won the series 4-0. Anyway, good that India never lost a test match. Then comes the third team South Africa, who have beaten the Aussies at their own backyard. But still, this was also against a declining Australian team, with the aforementioned match winners absent, and the remaining batsmen out of form. It is confusing to say. Is it Australia who lost or, was it South Africa who won? For, when Australia were in their winning days, all that South Africa could afford to was to grab a draw in the first test in Nov 2005. Then, SA lost 5 out of 6 tests to Oz. And, now, when things have cooled down, SA are making every opportunity count, to make history.

At the end, keeping the advantages and drawbacks that the teams had,according to me, it is not able to differentiate which team's victory against Australia was the best. Can U???

What Does The ICC Gain By Such Schedules?

2009-01-11T06:58:00.002-08:00

Well, these days the jobless ICC is looking each and every method possible to make the game of cricket as boring as it can be. If not, how can one bring up and further implement the idea of having a tri series wherein, the three nations involved play just one match against each other, before advancing to the finals of the same. On one hand, the ICC has made a triangular series rare, by converting the even the periodic tri nation tournaments such as the Commonwealth Bank series (that used to be played in Australia in December every year) and the Nat West series (that is played in England every year) into bi lateral series and whenever it thinks of having a tri series, in addition to having teams like Bangladesh and Zimbabwe participating, the teams out there play each other just once-as I mentioned earlier.

This is not the first instance wherein the ICC has had such boring and inconsequential tournaments. Last year, just before the Asia cup, there was a tri series involving India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, where the teams played each other just once. Months later, a series between Bermuda, Canada and West Indies was also scheduled in the same manner. In 2004, a tri series at Holland was held, wherin, exactly, the three teams-India, Australia and Pakistan played each other just once, with two out of the three round robin games being washed out due to rain and the remaining one (India vs Pakistan) was cut short to 32 overs a side.

And that saw the Australian team enter the finals of the same without even bowling a single delivery. This is not all. One more thing is that the ICC schedules events, wherein two of the participating teams would be under-rated ones and are coupled with a strong team that is bound to win the tri series. In this case, two weak teams in Bangladesh & Zimbabwe are grouped with Sri Lanka. In the earlier case, Canada & Bermuda were teamed up with the West Indies. A situation where the result is a certainty rather than a toss. And also the venues that hosts these series are just funny. Someone like Holland & Malaysia have hosted such tournaments.

I wonder as to what the ICC gains by conducting such events, that are held just for the sake of it? Is the ICC trying to include such tri series' just to fill in the time gaps before the teams involved are ready for another competition. Else, what would one watch out for in a bi-lateral series, where the two teams play each other four teams, like it happened just before the world cup 2007, where India played a bi lateral series involving four matches against the West Indies and Sri Lanka? With a 2-2 result much likely! This is of course allowed in tests, where draw is always on the cards. But not in one dayers or T20 games. Some concession could be well given in case the teams battling it out are strong. But, whats the use when that is not the case?This shows that there is no one to question the ICC when it takes such foolish and illogical decisions repeatedly.

Tail Enders Are Front Runners

2009-01-10T06:21:00.000-08:00

Well, since the teams over the world resumed cricketing ties after a couple of months went off without any cricketing action, owing to the cancellation of the ICC champions trophy that was to be held in Pakistan, the game of cricket has somewhat changed with respect to tests. This is what as a cricket enthusiast I felt. It has been the tail end batsmen, who have been walking away with the honors of the game, after the known batsmen were found to make a mess of their batting. This was the thing that was observed since the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2008 that was held in India-needless to be said.

In the first test at Bangalore, it was tail enders in Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan who held the scoreboard ticking, by scoring 54 and 57* respectively, after Australia put up 460 runs on the board. In the third test which was drawn, it was Craig White who scored 43 despite coming in at no 8. Coming to the first test between India and England, it was Matt Prior, a no 8 batsmen who scored an unbeaten 53 that halped England take a first innings lead, and for India, Harbhajan Singh's 40 aided in India's mammoth run chase. Then, in the first test between West Indies and New Zealand, it was Jerome Taylor for Windies who scored 106 to help them close in on New Zealand's 365 by ending at 340.

The way the Bangladeshi batsman Mushfiqur Rahim posed problems for Sri Lanka in the second innings is still afresh in the minds of the cricketing buffs. Until Rahim was there on the crease, Bangladesh had every chance of making history in the game of test cricket. And Rahim being a no 8 batsman is a delight. In the second test at Chittagong, it was another tail ender in Mushrafe Mortaza who displayed his delight with the bat by scoring 63. And, at last we have the recent South Africa-Australia series, where it was the work of tail enders who have seen their team through when everyone had called it as "all over".

Jason Kreza's 30* & 32 in the first test, that was followed by Dayle Steyn's 76 in the second test- which involved a 185 run partnership that saw South Africa register their first ever test victory on the Australian soil. And in the third, all credit should go to the Australian tail ender Mitchell Johnson who scored a handy 64 with another tail ender Nathan Hauritz who scored 40. This laid the foundation to Australia's victory in the third test. In the very same match, Albie Morkel scored 40 for South Africa, and the match ended with South African tail enders Dale Steyn and Ntini scoring 28, which is a rather good score as far as their batting caliber is concerned. So, it would not be wrong if the tail enders be considered as front runners, who in addition to bowling (which is why they are ther in the team) could also bat.

Captaincy- A Batsman's Right?

2009-01-09T04:58:00.000-08:00

The last night's decision by the ECB to appoint Andrew Strauss as the captain for the upcoming series against the West Indies raised some questions as to whether captaincy is the job of the batsmen and rarely do bowlers are offered the job?This not only being the case regarding England team. But, a little bit of glance would reveal that if not for the New Zealand team, every other cricketing nation has elected a batsman as its skipper. The reason regarding the same is yet to be disclosed. Does anyone out thre know the funda of a batsman-captain relationship? If so, please tell me.

For, it has not been able for me to know as to what makes the selectors go in for batsmen when it come to selecting a captain for its side. For a team India, the present captain in M S Dhoni bats in addition to keeping wickets. And before Dhoni, it was handled by batsmen like Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and Mohd Azharuddin. Very rarely has there been a captain who is a bowler rather than a batsman. The rare exception being that of Anil Kumble, who was made India's test captain at the fag end of his cricketing career. Neither was Javagal Srinath nor Venkatesh Prasad were given the job despite being at the top of the bowling in their playing days.

And, for the West Indies, after Courtney Walsh retired after the 1999 world cup, the captains have been Jimmy Adams, Carl Hooper, Brian Lara and Chris Gayle off late. For Australia, fellow legends- Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath were never offerred the job whatsoever. The predecessors for Ponting have been batsmen in Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Allan Border, with Adam Gilchrist & Ian Healy doing the job in their absense. For Pakistan, the last five captains have been Shoaib mailk (present), Inzamam Ul Haq, Moin Khan, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram. In this case, the two of them being bowlers.

For Sri Lanka, match winners in Mutiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vass were never ever offerred the job. Its been Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Attapattu, Mahela Jayawardane who took over the team's responsibility after another batsman Arjuna Ranatunga called it a day. The last bowler to captain England was, I guess was Dominic Cork, with no idea as to how long he continued. Then, it was Alec Stewart, Nasser Hussain, Michael Vaughan and now Andrew Strauss. At present the only bowler who is found captaining his side is Daniel Vettori, who took over from fellow batsmen Stephen Fleming, Adam Parore and Lee Germon (1996).

Last but not the least we have South Africa, who have elected a batsmen in Greame Smith, after Pollock failed to move to the super sixes of the ICC world cup in 2003. Before that it was Hansie Cronje, who was precedeed by Kepler Wessels and Peter Kirsten. Never mind that the aforementioned players have done justice to their role, but, miking bowlers take on their side would surely persuade youngsters to take up the job of bowling, which is ever diminishing day to day, with ICC bringing new rules every now and then to make batsmen's life easy.

A Positive Move By The Australian Selectors

2009-01-08T05:34:00.000-08:00

Finally, the frontier falls. A news broke out that Australian opener Matthew Hayden has been dropped from the one day squad that will be facing South Africa on 11th of January for a T20 game to begin with. A decision that the Australian selectors' panel should have taken some six months ago has been taken now. Good that the selectors have put their foot forward regarding the regaining the lost glory of Australian cricket by dropping a player who has been out of form since a year or so. This is what each and every selection panel would be found doing, in case a team's performance is not satisfactory. And Australia is no different. Instead, for a decade or so, the world has been doing what the ACB does.

Even the Pakistan team, way back in 2003, had dropped 8 of its players after they failed to make it to the second stage of the same. And Pakistan bounced back, beating teams like Sri Lanka and New Zealand the same year. And team India, which now stands tall in all three forms of the game couldn't even make it to the super eights of the world cup in 2007. A strict action of their respective cricket boards saw one team lift the inaugural T20 world cup, while the other team ended as the runners up. So, such harsh actions by the cricket boards at times are welcome.

Else, each team would be a replica of the present West Indies or an England team. It is a fact that the selectors did a Ganguly on Matthew Hayden, but, as all of us aware of, team interests overcome personal ones. Forget it! And even now if the Australian selectors do not take chances, they will be responsible for Australia in becoming another West Indies. No doubt that the decision on Hayden was harsh, but, Hayden did deserve it. Not only Hayden, but, even Ricky Ponting should be stripped of his captaincy for a certain period of time. Making Clarke the skipper would be a good option. And so should be Brett Lee from the bowling department.

Probably. like Shaun Tait, even Matthew Hayden should have taken off from the squad, without giving the selectors a tough time. This would have even inspired a lot of youngsters to accept their weaknesses and move ahead, hoping with a better come back. Unfortunately, Hayden's thinking was otherwise. And reminding you guys, Australia is no short of any decent bench strength. There are likes of James Hopes, Shaun Marsh, Hussey brothers-David & Mike and Warner-who is considered to be a replacement for Hayden. Now, all eyes would be on hayden, when he makes a good comeback, for, the game of cricket cannot afford to miss someone like Matthew Hayden whatsoever.

Something Is Lost For South Africa

2009-01-07T05:15:00.000-08:00

Well it was really frustrating when the news that South Africa has lost the third test to Australia broke out in the afternoon. This shattered the dreams of not only most of the South African players, but also all the Aussie haters and Protea fans over the world. It is inevitable but to accept that Australia still head the ICC test rankings and are even now the most powerful cricketing nation in the world. A chance to overthrow the Aussies from the throne was eventually lost by South Africa. Such opportunities do not arise every now and then. How, stupid were the South Africans to let that go off their hands!

A little bit of game planning would have seen South Africa achieve the most expected one. But, what could be said of a team that makes a mess and gets itself into self destructive mode? Forget about a win at Sydney, even a draw would have had some smiles on the faces of the fans. But, no. South Africa looked as though they never ever wanted to come out of that festive mood, that was achieved when they had won the second test. Why should one ever think of winning the third, when it hardly makes any difference regarding the series? This was the way Smith might have thought before entering the third test.

A similar thing was witnessed in the round robin stage of the world cup 2007, when South Africa faced the same Australia at St Kitts where Australia, batting first made a stiff 377. South Africa, afresh from their memories of having chased down 434 successfully were expected to do the same here as well. And it looked as though another Johannesburg was in store that day. But no. It all started with the run out of AB De Villiars. South Africa, who had until then had put up 160 runs on board at the end of the 21st over were eventually all out for 294. Thus rendering all dreams shattered. And the third test was no different.

And look as who the match winner for Australia was! A three match old player, who made his debut in Mohali against India in the Border-Gavaskar trophy in October last year. And how could South Africa manage to give the charge to the tail enders like Mitchell Johnson and Hauritz, who scored a handy 64 and 41 respectively? At the end of the day, South Afric amissed out on a golden opportunity to whitewash a team that had last time whitewashed them some three years ago. With this at stake for us at the moment, the only thing left for us would be to watch out for another exciting encounter between these two gaints of cricket, when Australia will be touring South Africa two months from now.