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.
Showing posts with label Kevin Peitersen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kevin Peitersen. Show all posts
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
A soft target for Bangalore
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 20th 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.
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.
Friday, January 16, 2009
What Is Going On In The ECB?
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.
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.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
A Cool First Day For England
Well..finally there was a bit relief for me that finally I could watch some great cricketing action. At the same time, I was afraid for ending up watching a boring and colourless encounter, wherein team England would succumb to the sub-continent conditions, and also owing to lack of match practice, it was all believed that a boring encounter is always going to be on the cards. But, thank god..that was not the case. England showed that they were the creators of the game of cricket way back in the eighteenth century. However, this is still not enough. I wish there is still some greater action to come in the days ahead of the test series
For the exception of Andrew Strauss and Alister Cook, the rest of the English batsmen weren't up to the mark. And on the part of the Indians, they just showed that they were the home team and had always had an upper hand in the test series. The match was a perfect mixture of some great cricketing shots, good bowling from the Indian counterparts, a wrong decision that bought frustration in the eyes of the Englishmen, when Paul Collingwood was given out caught behind to a delivery that was found to miss the gloves by some 6 inches. Something that favoured the English batsman was the toss that Kevin Pietersen won and chose to bat. Otherwise, I guess things would have been different.
There is still four more days to go in this trest match, things may or may not be the same. England might get back to their basics of getting their tactics wrong, thus, in the process falling prey to Indian hunters. Spin, that has always been a problem for Western countries, may once again put pressure on the English batsmen. Likewise, a hint of the same was observed, when Yuvraj Singh made an impact no different compared to regular spinners- Harbhajan Singh or Amit Mishra for that matter. And I wish the way Zaheer Khan posed threats to the English batsmen during India's tour to England in 2007, is still in the minds of the English batsman. This is evident for the first day's play, when Zaheer Khan had Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell in his wickets tally.
It looked as though lack of practice for the English batsmen didn't prove to be a major set back, taking into consideration their run on day 1. This could also be attributed to the pitch, that was seen to be a batsmen's paradise, with the earlier match having Virender Sehwag scoring his second triple hundred and had recorded totals of 540 and 647. So, assuming that England had the upper hand on day 1's play might be just an illusion. And one should not forget the depth in India's batting line up, which is needless to be said. As an Indian fan, an Indian victory is always welcome. But, an equal resistance from the opposition would be a treat to watch. I wish England plays the game with full determination, showing their courage and power. So do the Indians.
For the exception of Andrew Strauss and Alister Cook, the rest of the English batsmen weren't up to the mark. And on the part of the Indians, they just showed that they were the home team and had always had an upper hand in the test series. The match was a perfect mixture of some great cricketing shots, good bowling from the Indian counterparts, a wrong decision that bought frustration in the eyes of the Englishmen, when Paul Collingwood was given out caught behind to a delivery that was found to miss the gloves by some 6 inches. Something that favoured the English batsman was the toss that Kevin Pietersen won and chose to bat. Otherwise, I guess things would have been different.
There is still four more days to go in this trest match, things may or may not be the same. England might get back to their basics of getting their tactics wrong, thus, in the process falling prey to Indian hunters. Spin, that has always been a problem for Western countries, may once again put pressure on the English batsmen. Likewise, a hint of the same was observed, when Yuvraj Singh made an impact no different compared to regular spinners- Harbhajan Singh or Amit Mishra for that matter. And I wish the way Zaheer Khan posed threats to the English batsmen during India's tour to England in 2007, is still in the minds of the English batsman. This is evident for the first day's play, when Zaheer Khan had Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell in his wickets tally.
It looked as though lack of practice for the English batsmen didn't prove to be a major set back, taking into consideration their run on day 1. This could also be attributed to the pitch, that was seen to be a batsmen's paradise, with the earlier match having Virender Sehwag scoring his second triple hundred and had recorded totals of 540 and 647. So, assuming that England had the upper hand on day 1's play might be just an illusion. And one should not forget the depth in India's batting line up, which is needless to be said. As an Indian fan, an Indian victory is always welcome. But, an equal resistance from the opposition would be a treat to watch. I wish England plays the game with full determination, showing their courage and power. So do the Indians.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Finally The Flight Takes Off !!!
After much speculations regarding the continuation of the India-England test series, finally, it is really nice to see the India-England first test above to take off at Chepauk stadium in Chennai. This gave much relief to atleast me, for, days and weeks altogether without international cricketing action kept me cursing me all these days. So, finally, thanks to the Chennai test which I believe will go ahead successfully, without any weather interuptions and security fears. Lets all hope that there will be a good contest between India and England team, with both of them putting up a tough fight to overcome the opposition, unlike the English team did in the one day series, by losing all five games without any resistance.
I wish the lack of practice for the English team would not mind them from putting up a better performance what-so-ever. For, where there is a will, there is a way. This could be drawn from the fact that team India won the inaugural T20 world cup at South Africa without a permanent coach. With players like Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen, Steve Harmison, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood and others, the England team should not be complaining at all, as far as their talent goes. If the England team is given a glance, it looks a rather balanced team. We all hope that the weather gods do not come in the way of a fantastic encounter out there at the Chepauk stadium.
For the first time, the Indian team will take on the field without Sourav Ganguly. Even the pinch of missing Anil Kumble will be felt deeply by the fans I guess. And, for heaven's sake, the only delight being is the presence of Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and V V S Laxman, whom we have been seeing for a decade or so. Irrespective of their form and fitness, their absense will be really felt. Obviously, team India is bound to have an upper hand in the series, and it is upto England to make use of the talent in the team, keeping in mind the lack of weakness in the Indian side.
If the recent past is considered, none of the teams, barring India have played really good and decent cricket. Even the mighty Aussies were found striking a bad patch during their tour of India. Not only for losing the series, but, also for showing no signs of chasing targets and defending their low totals. Matches are won in such a way that neither the winning team rejoices nor the losing team gets humiliated. Neither the losing team makes up its mind to be in the driver's seat in the coming games, thus drawing lessons from the previous one. Now, I hope that the days of drought in cricket are over with the India-England teams resuming their tours.The best of all cricketing action is yet to come.Cheers!!!
I wish the lack of practice for the English team would not mind them from putting up a better performance what-so-ever. For, where there is a will, there is a way. This could be drawn from the fact that team India won the inaugural T20 world cup at South Africa without a permanent coach. With players like Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen, Steve Harmison, Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood and others, the England team should not be complaining at all, as far as their talent goes. If the England team is given a glance, it looks a rather balanced team. We all hope that the weather gods do not come in the way of a fantastic encounter out there at the Chepauk stadium.
For the first time, the Indian team will take on the field without Sourav Ganguly. Even the pinch of missing Anil Kumble will be felt deeply by the fans I guess. And, for heaven's sake, the only delight being is the presence of Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar and V V S Laxman, whom we have been seeing for a decade or so. Irrespective of their form and fitness, their absense will be really felt. Obviously, team India is bound to have an upper hand in the series, and it is upto England to make use of the talent in the team, keeping in mind the lack of weakness in the Indian side.
If the recent past is considered, none of the teams, barring India have played really good and decent cricket. Even the mighty Aussies were found striking a bad patch during their tour of India. Not only for losing the series, but, also for showing no signs of chasing targets and defending their low totals. Matches are won in such a way that neither the winning team rejoices nor the losing team gets humiliated. Neither the losing team makes up its mind to be in the driver's seat in the coming games, thus drawing lessons from the previous one. Now, I hope that the days of drought in cricket are over with the India-England teams resuming their tours.The best of all cricketing action is yet to come.Cheers!!!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
How Long Will This Hide & Seek Go On?
Well since that sixth and seventh one day matches between India and England got canceled, there has always been hide and seek whether or not to go ahead with the series. And each day I open the newspaper to get the latest progress about the series, I end up finding something new and something different from what I read in the earlier ones. And the news right now is that the first test between England and India will be, by all means played on the scheduled date itself that is on the 11th of this month. And, I am not yet sure about this, atleast until the series not only takes off, but also until the second test ends.
Now, the news is that Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison will be joining the squad for the test series. The two had decided to stay off from the tour fearing security concerns.Well that is always welcome. And another doubt that as arisen in the minds of the English team is that "how far is Mohali, which is close to the borders of Pakistan, safe for playing, as far as the England team is concerned?" And the recent cyclone (as I've already said in many of my earlier posts) in Chennai is always a threat to the game going on smoothly. So, I ask to myself is "whether the series will really take off?"
The speculation is true indeed, for the vanue in Mohali is no different from Ahmedabad, for, both the venues are close to Pakistan borders. And even to this moment I can't understand as to what would the English cricket team get in return, for choosing Abu Dhabi as a venue to carry on their practice games? Are the conditions in Abu Dhabi same as that in India, or atleast in the venues that are scheduled in India? Likewise, Sri Lanka would have been a better place for them to practice for their upcoming Indian tour. Now, if the recent newspaper reports are to be believed, talks are on for the Mohali test to be held either in Bangalore or Hyderabad. So, what next?
I wonder as to what will be the outcome of such a tour, where the English team's focus is all regarding the security, which is not at all their cup of tea. Rather than concentrating on cricket, much of the fuss is being made on the security concerns. I wish they would have got answers, when the security cover was so tight that even the media persons were not given a free pass. Is the seurity issue still haunting team England? If yes, I wish you guys pack up your bags. With hardly any practice for the upcoming tour, I wish as to that the English players will give in the matches to come. Already, the England team are yet to come out of the 5-0 whitewash they suffered in the in one day series. And if their recent test performance is considered, they have no reason to feel comfortable, for they lost the last test series to South Africa.
Well, at the end of the day, as a cricket fan, all I would be lookingis for some really decent, entertaining action from not only the Indian side, but also the English side. And I just hope that the teams out there will be just doing that. So, all I would be doing for these two days is to just wait until the series takes off in style and in patience.
Now, the news is that Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison will be joining the squad for the test series. The two had decided to stay off from the tour fearing security concerns.Well that is always welcome. And another doubt that as arisen in the minds of the English team is that "how far is Mohali, which is close to the borders of Pakistan, safe for playing, as far as the England team is concerned?" And the recent cyclone (as I've already said in many of my earlier posts) in Chennai is always a threat to the game going on smoothly. So, I ask to myself is "whether the series will really take off?"
The speculation is true indeed, for the vanue in Mohali is no different from Ahmedabad, for, both the venues are close to Pakistan borders. And even to this moment I can't understand as to what would the English cricket team get in return, for choosing Abu Dhabi as a venue to carry on their practice games? Are the conditions in Abu Dhabi same as that in India, or atleast in the venues that are scheduled in India? Likewise, Sri Lanka would have been a better place for them to practice for their upcoming Indian tour. Now, if the recent newspaper reports are to be believed, talks are on for the Mohali test to be held either in Bangalore or Hyderabad. So, what next?
I wonder as to what will be the outcome of such a tour, where the English team's focus is all regarding the security, which is not at all their cup of tea. Rather than concentrating on cricket, much of the fuss is being made on the security concerns. I wish they would have got answers, when the security cover was so tight that even the media persons were not given a free pass. Is the seurity issue still haunting team England? If yes, I wish you guys pack up your bags. With hardly any practice for the upcoming tour, I wish as to that the English players will give in the matches to come. Already, the England team are yet to come out of the 5-0 whitewash they suffered in the in one day series. And if their recent test performance is considered, they have no reason to feel comfortable, for they lost the last test series to South Africa.
Well, at the end of the day, as a cricket fan, all I would be lookingis for some really decent, entertaining action from not only the Indian side, but also the English side. And I just hope that the teams out there will be just doing that. So, all I would be doing for these two days is to just wait until the series takes off in style and in patience.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Are England Really Interested in One Day Cricket?
Well after the fifth one day international between England and India at Cuttack yesterday,which England lost yet again,one thing that is going on in my mind is that are team England really interested in playing quality cricket-be it test or one day international?For, in none of the one day matches in India,the England team have ever risen to the occasion and put up a tough fight.Since the England team have landed in India, all the one day matches that have been played so far in this series,none of them have been close encounters.Was this the team that boasts of being in the finals of a world cup on three occasions?Was this the nation that put forward the idea of the game of cricket in the 18th century in front of the world? In the fifth one day international, I was really satisfied with the way Kevin Pietersen and co. batted in the first innings to put up a tough stand compared to the previous matches.But, it was evident that the England batsmen didn't do anything in particular even with the bat for the pitch behaved as the batsmen wanted it to.The bowlers showed absolutely no signs in restricting the home team.With a win out of question, the English bowlers were found giving too many short pitched deliveries which helped four out of six of the Indian batsman to notch up a half century and get only one batsman out for a score less than 50.I wonder as to why should a team look forward to playing against such nations who are hare only to have a tour rather than play cricket?Why does one need players of the caliber of Sachin and Yuvraj to tackle this England team.
I just cannot recall as when England last won a one day series outside England. England has been playing cricket for centuries altogether.Though there are teams like Bangladesh,West Indies and Zimbabwe who are far below par when compared to England, it is worth mentioning that these teams are not gifted with talented players of the caliber of Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen,Steve Harmison and much others. With the English football team making waves all over, whats wrong with their cricket?It just looks like England are not at all interested in playing one day cricket and T20,although their test team is a pretty decent.For the number of wickets England had in hand,the total should have well crossed 300.But,no.
One more interesting aspect of the England squad is that in the current cricket squad that is under tour, three of the English players namely Ravi Bopara,Samit Patel,Owais Shah are of the sub continental origin.Are England short of players in their country for they hire players from the sub continent?
Saturday, August 30, 2008
A South African Debacle
Well one could not ever believe if the team that is being placed second in the ICC one day rankings let alone winning a match against a team that is placed third from the last in England,but,could not even put up a formidable batting nor play its allotted 50 overs.Sorry,not even half of it.The South African tem was all out for a mere score of 83 in just 23 overs.Can any one of you believe it!And the man who was responsible for such a devastating spell being the one who got belted for 6 sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh in the inaugural T20 championship.And six catches to a keeper who is not known to be one among the world's best?
Well..I suspect some foul play being involved in the game.For,even when the going was really found to be tough for the South Africans who were batting out there,the incoming batsmen showed no signs of seriousness absolutely whatsoever.Only three of the South African batsmen were found to cross the double digit mark.Despite losing the first ODI by 20 runs,the visitors showed no signs of improvement in the second one dayer.And when it came to the batting of the England side,they never had problems of any sort,for they never lost a wicket and successfully chased down the target in less than 15 overs with a run rate of 6.00 per over.
How come so much difference in performance and that too when the team which has lost is above par with the team that has won.All these happening despite no injury woes to any of the South African players.Did the captaincy of Kevin Pietersen influence to that extent on the South African team?Its really confusing to see the South African team succumb to England bowling so badly even in a pitch that was favoring the batsmen.How?
Has the England team really become so tough to out play or has the South African team lost its balance to out perform the England team.Not once but twice this has hapenned.The last time when the South African team toured England,the result was 5-1 favoring South Africa.Well..the point is not that the same history has to repeat itself.But,atleast some fighting reply would have cooled down things.With as many as 27 overs left to bat in the South African side,the lower order could have done a lot better.But?Well this is only an illusion,but,the suspicion is justified.Sorry to say this.
Well..I suspect some foul play being involved in the game.For,even when the going was really found to be tough for the South Africans who were batting out there,the incoming batsmen showed no signs of seriousness absolutely whatsoever.Only three of the South African batsmen were found to cross the double digit mark.Despite losing the first ODI by 20 runs,the visitors showed no signs of improvement in the second one dayer.And when it came to the batting of the England side,they never had problems of any sort,for they never lost a wicket and successfully chased down the target in less than 15 overs with a run rate of 6.00 per over.
How come so much difference in performance and that too when the team which has lost is above par with the team that has won.All these happening despite no injury woes to any of the South African players.Did the captaincy of Kevin Pietersen influence to that extent on the South African team?Its really confusing to see the South African team succumb to England bowling so badly even in a pitch that was favoring the batsmen.How?
Has the England team really become so tough to out play or has the South African team lost its balance to out perform the England team.Not once but twice this has hapenned.The last time when the South African team toured England,the result was 5-1 favoring South Africa.Well..the point is not that the same history has to repeat itself.But,atleast some fighting reply would have cooled down things.With as many as 27 overs left to bat in the South African side,the lower order could have done a lot better.But?Well this is only an illusion,but,the suspicion is justified.Sorry to say this.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Sun Starts Rising In Englend Atlast
High hopes of the England cricket team winning the test series was shattered when they lost the first two of the four test match series.Well,this was not expected though from the England team.And when most of us (if not all) thought it would be South Africa who would walk away with the one day series as well.this was only to be deceived.And what a captain the team has chosen!A captain who was found to play his captain's knock in the beginning of his career as captain.The captain also forced Steve Harmison against retiring from one day internationals.Looks like the words of the former England captain Michael Vaughan which said "I want 11 captains on the field" is turning out to be reality.
Pietersen's knock of 90 off just 82 balls in addition to his unbeaten 158 run partnership with Andrew Flintoff in just 21 overs at a run rate of just below an over was one of the finest way to start off his career as a captain.The question at the moment is "how long will he continue to do the good work?".If this continues atleast till the end of the series against South Africa,it would be worth the praise.The trump card of the day for England's batting was that they never lost wickets at regular intervals and batted patiently until it was really time to call the shots.Thus by blasting 94 runs from the last 10 overs.
And if this wasn't enough,the duo also had something to offer with the bat as well.For,both the batsmen who put up a huge partnership of 158,shared 4 wickets between them.Two each to both Pietersen and Flintoff.This coming at a time when the England team just needed.In other words,the England bowlers got crucial wickets whenever they wanted.Whenever the South African batsmen were found to cut loose,even the England bowlers were found cutting.All South African batsmen were found putting up the same performance.Hats off to the team effort.
Every batsman who took to the crease tried his best to over power the England bowlers.The going was easy in the beginning when Smith and Gibbs put up a score of 50 in the first 8 overs and when the second wicket fell, the scoreboard reading 93/2 after 15.4 overs.It was then only that the batting debacle started happening.But,South Africa did what England didn't.Lost wickets at regular intervals and also the match at the end of the day.
It looks like South Africa is the best opponent Pietersen.May be because this is his motherland for,he played the series of his life also against the same team amassing 500+ runs in 2005.
Pietersen's knock of 90 off just 82 balls in addition to his unbeaten 158 run partnership with Andrew Flintoff in just 21 overs at a run rate of just below an over was one of the finest way to start off his career as a captain.The question at the moment is "how long will he continue to do the good work?".If this continues atleast till the end of the series against South Africa,it would be worth the praise.The trump card of the day for England's batting was that they never lost wickets at regular intervals and batted patiently until it was really time to call the shots.Thus by blasting 94 runs from the last 10 overs.
And if this wasn't enough,the duo also had something to offer with the bat as well.For,both the batsmen who put up a huge partnership of 158,shared 4 wickets between them.Two each to both Pietersen and Flintoff.This coming at a time when the England team just needed.In other words,the England bowlers got crucial wickets whenever they wanted.Whenever the South African batsmen were found to cut loose,even the England bowlers were found cutting.All South African batsmen were found putting up the same performance.Hats off to the team effort.
Every batsman who took to the crease tried his best to over power the England bowlers.The going was easy in the beginning when Smith and Gibbs put up a score of 50 in the first 8 overs and when the second wicket fell, the scoreboard reading 93/2 after 15.4 overs.It was then only that the batting debacle started happening.But,South Africa did what England didn't.Lost wickets at regular intervals and also the match at the end of the day.
It looks like South Africa is the best opponent Pietersen.May be because this is his motherland for,he played the series of his life also against the same team amassing 500+ runs in 2005.
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