Hosts at a world tournament

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.

Crap this allrounder!!!

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.

Struggling batsman but not struggling captain

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.

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

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.

Aussies Set For A New Record

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!!!

West In-Dies

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+.

Start of The West Indies' ODI Debacle

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.

England Strikes The Target This Time

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

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

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

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.

Indians Haven't Learnt From The Past

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.

A Lot Of Unexpecteds In A Month

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.

Something Funny indeed

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.

India, South Africa & England!

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???

A Test Match Chemistry

On 19th of December, two tests were scheduled. one of them being the second test between India and England, and the other one being the second test between West Indies and New Zealand. Both of them being the second, as well as the last test of the respective series. Both of them ending in a draw. And what is more coincidence that can be expected? Both the test series India-England and West Indies-New Zealand had both the tests starting on the same day. of course they ended too on same dates need not be said. The first test of both the series started on 11th December and the second test on 19th of the same month.

Something more special would be that once the test series that I mentioned above gets over, there will be exchange of the teams for the next series that is under schedule as per the ICC test tours table. India would be facing New Zealand in March-May coming year after the series against England is over. And on the other hand, England would be facing the West Indies, once the series against India gets over. This would happen somewhere in the month of January. Thanks to the cancellation of India's tour to Pakistan, which made this chemistry happen. Isn't this somewhat fascinating?

Another chemistry would be that Autralia will be touring South Africa once the current South African tour of Australia is done. This as you might be thinking may not be something special. But, guys please wait. More treat is yet to come. Let us go back some three years down the lane where South Africa visits Australia prior to the then VB series in December 2005, following which Australia tour the same South Africa during February the coming year in 2006. The history is found to repeat once again this year too. Noticed!!! Then, Australia had won 5 out of the scheduled 6 tests. If this time, South Africa be able to grab 5 out of 6 test matches, that would be really awesome.

And if one is ready to down the lane to the late 2003, there was the Border-Gavaskar trophy in December 2003, and the next one in October 2004 in India. Even in late 2007 there was Border-Gavaskar trophy held in Australia, and the following one in October 2008 (the coming year). India had retained it at the end of the 2003-04 series and passed it on to Australia in 2004. Similarly, Australia retained it in 2007-08 and passed it on to India in 2008. These series' are not scheduled like the Ashes (that are held for every two years). This is pure coincidence.

England's Test Debacle

Well most of the world is now casting its eyes of the decline of the world dominating Australian team. Since the retirement of many greats of the caliber of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist and lot others, this has been the case. And more so after Australia failed to continue their winning streak of 16 consecutive wins in tests. And this followed by a 2-0 defeat at the hands of old foes India recently. Adding fuel to the fire would be the loss to South Africa despite posing them with a stiff target of 414 at Perth on Sunday, which they did it with ease. This is needless to be said I suppose.

Anyway, a lot has been spoken about the issue in recent times. However, in addition to Australia who is facing a major set back in tests, there is another test team who was once upon a time one of the opponents who had posed a threat to the then mighty Aussies. This was England, when they regained the Ashes in 2005, after beating the No 1 Australian team 2-1. This was no fluke. Similar to Australia, even England was found to destroy the opposition in test cricket until then. This had also seen England being placed in the No 2 position as per the then ICC test rankings. And most of the cricket stalwarts were of the opinion that England should have been No1.

Until the Ashes victory in 2005, England had beaten all the major test teams in world cricket namely South Africa, Australia, New Zealand & West Indies. Of course Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. The stats of England until then read : 7 wins out of 8 tests against West indies, 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand, 2-1 series win against Australia, 2-1 series win in the 4 match series against South Africa. The only loss being at the hands of Sri Lanka, in late 2003, which saw England draw the first test by batting the fifth day with only one wicket in hand. This was the caliber of the then England test team.

The only team that England hadn't faced during that period was India and Pakistan. Finally a series against Pakistan was on the cards, and the unexpected happened. England lost the 3 match test series 2-0, with the third test by an innings in early 2005. Still, all was not lost for England though. They later beat Pakistan at home, which is famous for the DarrelHair episode and then a series level against India in 2006.England had still made it to the No 2 position, despite leveling the home series against Sri lanka later that year. It all started with the next Ashes, where England were brutally thrashed by Australia 5-0, which started the end of England's dominance. And until today, England have never been able to wake up for that trauma.

Rahul Dravid : Back To The Pavilion

On the first day of the second test match between India and England, at Mohali, it was all cheers for Mr Dependable of Indian cricket batting- Rahul Dravid. As all expected, Rahul Dravid did make his critics come false what so ever. by scoring a fighting 136. All this happened in a test match which was a nerve testing one, especially for Rahul Dravid, whom the selectors had decided to send him down the batting order, or drop him from the coming test matches. None of which happened. And that wouldn't have been fair for a batsman of the caliber of Rahul Dravid, given his run in test cricket, that has lasted for more than a decade or so.

And it was as though the selectors, as well as captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who was right not to have dealt with Rahul Dravid, in the ways that were said. So did the man himself prove on day 1 of the second test at Mohali, by scoring a much needed knock of 136, to put India in a commanding position, with the innings ending at 453 and Rahul Dravid having a 319 run partnership with Gautam Gambhir. Else, one could as to what would have been the fate of team India, in the Mohali test. A mere 134 run contribution from the blades of the rest put together. So, Dravid did need a pat on his back for this.

And if this knock was thought to be enough to douse the fire that was found to burn RahulDravid, there was yet another spark that was found to alight the doused fire, which came in the second innings of the Mohali test, where Rahul Dravid scored another 19 ball duck. This time being bowled by Stuart Broad. And at a time when the going wasn't too good either. None of the other Indian batsmen barring Gautam Gambhir led the Indian assault and the regained form of Rahul Dravid was the quint-essential of the day. But no. Anotherdisappointment was awaiting Rahul Dravid and his fans.

Nevermind that India have taken an unbeatable lead in the series, and, the second test is heading towards a draw, with most of the play delayed owing to bad light. And I feel that this would over shadow the downfall of Rahul Dravid. For the saying goes "All Is Well That Ends Well", when the series has not witnessed anything unwanted, I don't think that Rahul Dravid should do it either. And God knows as to when would India be playing their full fledged test series, with the series against Pakistan being canceled. So, according to the ICC tours table, the next major test series would be somewhere in March 2009, which is a long way from now. So, until then, there is no reason as to why Rahul Dravid shouldn't improve his performance.

Finally England Gets Deceived

I wonder as to what would have been going on in the minds of the England captain Kevin Pietersen, after losing the first test at Chennai to India. Kevin Pietersen would have had some great plans to rejoice the victory against India, once the first innings of both the teams was over, and he had declared the innings, imposing the mammoth total of 387. But, finally...I wonder as to how could have Kevin Pietersen even dreamt of that! I wish he has to pinch himself and say that it is India whom his team is facing and that too at home. Not a team like Bangladesh or West Indies. And I'm sure that he'll convince himself regarding the same.

Of course..England did take a good first innings lead. But, was it India who conceded a lead to England or whether it was England who took the lead? The answers are right here. What sort of a captain is Kevin Pietersen for have underestimated a team like India? Is he a real professional? I wish Kevin Pietersen had taken some tips before dreaming from his fellow team mates namely Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison, who have had the punch from the fists of the Indian batsmen. If one still thinks that England did have an upper hand in the test, I wish one goes and takes a look at the run rate of both the teams in their innings.

While India have had their run rate close to four in both the innings, England's run rate was somewhere below 3.0 runs per over. In the sense, England did the same what Ponting's men did on their tour to the same a few months back. Isn't this just lack of proper game planning? England should have, by now got the answers for their stupidity, when they were not able to defend a mammoth total of 379, with only a day's play left. It is just foolish to expect for England to be able to do what even Australia couldn't do.

Despite being given such a easy chance to break through, England couldn't make much of the same. Had England been really determined, they would have taken up this opportunity with both hands and put India in trouble what-so-ever. Despite a first innings lead and imposing such a stiff target, all England could do was just be a mute spectator to the shots hit with guts and glory by Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh. And not to forget Harbhajan Singh in the first innings where he scored 40 along with captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni who scored 53. Now, I think one can surely term England to be real underdogs when they couldn't take control, despite being given a golden opportunity.

Where Is Murali Karthik?

Well after the retirement of Anil Kumble, there was much speculation being made, as to who will be replacing the void left by Anil Kumble? Some names that were suggested were Amit Mishra and Piyush Chawla. Well..the idea is not bad. And not good either I can say. For, someone like Amit Mishra who made his test debut five years after coming to the international scene, after the ICC world cup 2003, in the triangular series involving Bangladesh, India and South Africa, that ws held in Bangladesh. God knows as to where Amit Mishra was hiding in all these five years. And whenever the question of a leg spinner is posed, this man was not even available in the minds of the selectors. And today Amit Mishra is considered to be the future of Indian leg spin, taking over the shoes of legendary Anil Kumble.

So, does one five wicket haul make one's international career certain?And as far as Piyush Chawla is considered, till now his name has not been figured out. But, the selectors have not yet put a full stop for this man. Well as far as his talent and hard work goes, there is absolutely nothing to complain about. But, I don't think this is the right time to bring someone like Piyush Chawla into the big stage. Else, it would be wiser to bring in someone who has been waiting to prove a point in the international stage since years. And not without a splendid performance needless to say. One doesn't expect the BCCI selectors to compromise with hard work, talent and performance. But, why should one lose out for just being old?

Why shouldn't a rotational policy be followed by the BCCI, in the process giving a chance for each and every player to prove his worth? I even today remember Murali Karthik returning to team India for the 7th ODI against Australia from some commentary stuff and bagging 6/27 and further adding 27* runs to see India through. The bowling average is not different from Piyush Chawla, whose name pops up for every team selection. And how does one put a full stop, without giving him a chance for almost five years? And apart from a five wicket haul in the test against Australia at home, and that too on turning track, the services of Amit Mishra is limited I can say.

Isn't there any other leg spinner or a left arm orthodox spinner in a country with 1 billion people, who can make it to the playing eleven? only 3 out of a billion?So what percent?I'm really scared! Hmm..the way the selection of players goes on cannot be guessed what-so-ever. I think that this is the reason as to why team India is not possible to look out for replacements, in case of injury to a player or in case a player retires. In the inaugural edition of the IPL, we could see so many players, whom we had never heard of till then, put up splendid performances. Where have they all gone? It would be nice if the BCCI puts up a criteria for the players are needed to prove in order to make it to the national side. Else, it would only be the part played by luck for a player to be a part of the side.

It would have been nice, had it been possible to bring down ones age!