A Positive Move By The Australian Selectors

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.

Indian Ghost Continues To Haunt The Aussies

Atlast, the inevitable happens.Australia lose the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2-0,thanks to an under par Australian team that toured India this time and some luck whenever Mahendra Singh Dhoni takes on the Indian cap.After a long time,India have won a series 2-0 compared to 1-0 series victories against teams viz Pakistan (late last year) and England (in mid 2007).A delight being that Australia won the Nagpur test in 2004 to regain the Border Gavaskar trophy,a win on Indian soil after 34 years,only to lose the same at the same venue,4 years later.The man who lost the Ashes after 19 years in 2005,now can boast of having done the same in the Border-Gavaskar trophy as well.

I bet that there is some ghost that haunts the Australian cricket team everytime whenever they play India.For,even a batsman like Virender Sehwag comes up with a 5 wicket haul and bowlers like Irfan Pathan,Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan of late have proved something with the bat as well.Rarely does things like this happens.With someone like V V S Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar always being there when it comes to the big stage,this time for a change,instead of Rahul Dravid,there is Gautam Gambhir who unexpectedly became the top scorer of the series,including a double hundred at his home ground at Firoz Shah Kotla in Delhi.A series that would have been 2-1 favoring India ended at 2-0.

Despite a 70 run lead in the first innings at Bangalore,the Aussies made a mess of their own game by allowing Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh,after batting for nearly three days to post a so called respectable total.It looks like the Aussies are now feeling the pinch of losing star cricketers like McGrath,Damien Martyn,Langer and others at a stretch.I never expected someone like Mike Hussey to be a part of a test team,who can belt the ball like a T20 game.And KUDOS to Matt for atlast putting up a big score of 77 after a lot of over aggresive knocks.I feel it was primarily because of Matt that the ussies have had to face such a humiliation and second comes Ricky Ponting,followed by Brett Lee.

All that the Aussies could take from this series was a man of the match that was awarded to Kreza in the Nagpur encounter,despite losing the match and with it the series.A little planning would have seen the Aussies settle for a level.With 382 runs needed to win and a win being a compulsion,the Aussies just went after each and every ball.Someone like a Shahid Afridi would be seen doing.None of the Australian players, be it bowling or in the batting department have taken this series as a challenge,like it was taken by India four years back.Some fightback by the Australian team would have made the series an interesting one with both the teams not willing to give up.This was last seen only in the Border-Gavaskar series 2003 when India toured Australia.

After A Series Of Wins,It Is A Series Of Losses For The Chennai Super Kings

Well when the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League started,the teams like Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings started it all with a huge bang by registering three consecutive wins and the Chennai Super Kings extending it to four.And much frustration as the Chennai Super Kings were found to do the good work they were found doing in the match against weakly rated Deccan Chargers.This would off course put the audience in a guess as to what would happen to the finals or as to who would emerge the winners of the IPL and walk away with a whooping Rs 12 crore?

Off course that would by no means go into the hands of the Royal Challengers Bangalore.And not even Deccan Chargers.And with the Chennai Super Kings making a mess of their game after the famous New Zealander-Jacob Oram and the Aussies Matthew Hayden and Mike Hussey had to return back home to fulfill their national commitments.Even two lives given to Parthiv Patel was not made use of fully by this child when he threw away a running catch to R P Singh in the sixth ball after he had two lives -one in the first ball and the next in the fourth.

And for a change,this time there were some fireworks from Shahid Afridi who was for most part of the tournament found to score only in the dressing room and only on paper.But,a strike rate of 333 means that this would be the beginning of another Afridi era and a treat for the fans out there in the upcoming matches.A lower order batsman in Albie Morkel was the first one to slog the ball over the ropes.As against Adam Gilchrist who saw to it that the scoreboard kept on jumping with hefty blows all over the ground.

It would be nice for the fans if V V S Laxman is out of the tournament if the Deccan Chargers have got to prove something.

Sehwag:The Only One Icon Player?

Well the definition of icon player seemed to be redefined by Virender Sehwag for,he is the only one so called icon player to have proved to be worth his status.Unlike other so called icon players like Sachin Tendulkar-who is yet to make a mark in the tournament,Rahul Dravid-who can just defend the ball rather than see it clear the ropes,Sourav Ganguly who is only a step agead of Rahul Dravid when it comes to big hitting and last but not the least we have Anil Kumble,whose name has hardly been heard by the fans over.Guess this is why a thinking player like V V S Laxman chaose not to be one of those icon players citing the team's budget as the reasons to opt not to be one.Some intelligence to be observed.Ha ha ha..

The man for the second time was found to fire with the bat.The first against Deccan Chargers-wherein he scored a quickfire 91 off just 42 deliveries and this time against the Chennal Super Kings-who have until now been unbeaten.But,Sehwag took the initiative to see to that this dominance continues no more.There was nothing to complain from the side of M S Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings if not for Virender Sehwag.And also not to forget his wicket of Parthiv Patel to give initial breakthrough to his team.

Well Dhoni had set each and everything right for his team by putting on 169 runs which was rather the most a decent total.But,Sehwag had different plans.And that too without the likes of Matthew Hayden,Mike Hussey and Jacob Oram,who have been the right hand in posting three consecutive wins for their side.It looks like after this game against the Delhi Daredevils,the life span of the Chennai Super Kings has been numbered.Really??

A Better Match to Follow

After the first match debacle in the opening encounter involving Bangalore Royal Challengers,there was some relief in the second encounter involving Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings.For both the teams out there were found to show their powers,if not for the fact that there can be only one winner for a match.Both teams crossing the 200+ mark showed some maturity in the game that was totally dominated by batsmen,which witnessed the fastest hundred in the history of the game by Mike Hussey.

If not for the likes of Indian skipper M.S.Dhoni,rest of them could boast of having a strike rate of excess of 150,with two out of six having their strike rates of 200+.Well like I always do,this time i have got nothing to complain about.Because,the T20 competition is most (if not all) about belting the ball.And if this is not to be,does someone expect the audience just to come out there and watch the batsmen ducking each and every ball they face?Had it been so,the T20 would rather been called as a reduced version of 50 over ODI.

Even in the second innings,5 out of six (if Irfan Pathan is taken to be a bowler), batsmen could post strike rates of excess of 150.Well,at the end of the day,it was atreat for all the fans,in addition to the delight of watching the dancing girls out there.So,thanks people for giving us a beautiful match.

Just A Miss Hussey!

Well if Australia was heading for a straight 17th win in tests,there was Mike Hussey who was chasing a similar feat of having scored maximum number of runs without being out for a duck.The left handed southpaw is now ranked third behind the retired veteran Sri Lankan Aravinda De Silva who has scored 2779 runs before recording a duck in his 45th innings and South African A B DeVilliars-who has scored 2201runs at an averge of 37.31 .But friday's third day play shatterred this dream of Hussey.Much to his agony,Hussey when he drove the ball away from the body off R P Singh to keeper M S Dhoni to be out even before opening his account.With Australia needing a mamoth 413 runs to win the third test,it looks like even this dream of Aussies will be shattered.Else for nothing indians are referred to as Aussie hunters.Isn't it?