DREAMS DO COME TRUE II

Continuing from where I left yesterday. The first ball bowled by Zaheer Khan and a lot of thoughts were going through my mind. Will he be Zaheer of the 2011 World Cup, or the guy who bowled the first over to Gilchrist in the 2003 World Cup final? Thankfully, he did well in the first six overs as he conceded just 16 compared to the 15 he gave in the first over back in 2003.

When the bowling was done from the North Stand End, the great man Sachin Tendulkar was standing at fine leg, where I was seated. Just looking at his body language, one got the feeling he knew this was it. We gave him a standing ovation when he first walked towards our stand. Everybody forgot that Amir Khan, Sunil Shetty among other stars were sitting right above us, everyone was looking at the man who symbolizes hope for millions of Indians.

People tell me that I am the biggest fan they have met but when I saw the ovation Tendulkar got I felt I was one among many. Nevertheless I was happy to be there to cheer him to fulfill his dream. A dream which he saw and passed on to all of us. We started believing in dreams when we saw a sixteen year old take on the might of Imran Khan and Wasim Akram. He made us believe that if you have talent and are honest with your work, you can achieve anything. Sachin tough us to dream when he said last year “Life would be nothing without dreams.” I knew no matter what, we were there for him and the entire team.

During the sixth over of the innings, we realized that Rajnikant was amongst us. He got a huge reception and I immediately typed a text “Rajnikant is here, we will win for sure.” The moment I pressed “Send”, Upul Tharanga was caught at slip. A brilliant catch by Sehwag ensured Tharanga walked back.

The way the Indian team was fielding it felt as if their lives were at stake. Everybody was diving around, saving whatever they could. Yuvraj made a brilliant save and from where I was sitting I could see him almost parallel to the ground. Sachin made a brilliant save at the boundary near my stand and it just felt as if it was our day.

At one stage it didn’t look as if Sri Lanka would make 274 but Jayawardene batted very well with the lower order to help them get there. Jayawardene has always been one of my favourite batsmen. I always wanted to watch a long innings from him and when he walked out to bat I thought he would deliver but I said “Please not today, we want the cup for a billion people and a special Indian who lives in their hearts.”

He batted brilliantly silencing the crowds quite a few times. The melodious Lankan music was being played every time they hit a boundary. I loved the music but didn’t want to hear it too often. Kulasekara hit a six just above my head. I was getting in position to catch it but it sailed over. Perera then swung his willow around to get to 274. The crowd was quite.

The score looked inflated. I called my dad and like a kid I said “I am scared.” He said “Son, what did I tell you, if we are champions we will chase it down. It is a challenge and champions are made when they complete them. Hang in there son and cheer
them, that is what you are there for.”

The second ball Sehwag was out lbw and he called for a review. From what I saw, real time, naked eye, it looked out. When the confirmation came, silence. I just bent over to see who was walking out. I saw Gautam Gambhir and his body language looked really positive. He hit the first ball for four and Wankhede was back to it’s noisest best. It got even noisier with each run Sachin scored especially when he hit two classy boundaries of Kulasekara.

When Lasith Malinga was running to bowl the first ball of the sixth over, my inner voice said “Sachin please survive this ball and you will win this one yourself.” I do not know where this voice came from and my worst fear came to life. As Sachin walked back, there was pin drop silence. Lankans felt as if they had won half the battle. I was almost in tears, and couldn’t bear the thought of losing again. As he walked back I stood up to applaud him, looking at me the others around me stood up. Gradually, the whole stand stood up and looking at us, the celebrities stood up. I felt, at least I did something to respect the man but I wanted the World Cup to see the priceless smile on his face.

In walked Virat Kohli and like Gambhir his body language was very positive from the moment he left the dressing room. I was still in tears when dad called, he asked “Heartbroken?” In a very low voice I said “Yes” and almost burst out crying. He said “Son, I say again you are there to cheer, you shouldn’t lose hope. If you guys can cheer the youngsters they will do it. What was the first thing I told you when you started playing for your school? A team isn’t run by one player, he has to play with ten others. We have the guys to do it.” The man sitting next to me, with whom I could discuss tactics etc consoled me and said “A matter of a partnership man.”

Kohli and Gambhir changed the game in the bowling powerplay when they scored 40. The momentum was back with us. I kept reminding myself of the India Sri Lanka ODI at Kolkata in 2009. The same batsmen were in a similar position chasing 300+, both got hundred and we won. When Kohli got out, I expected Yuvraj to come but it was Dhoni. I immediately called home and aid “Dad, you know who has walked out?” Dad said “Ads are on, how would I know?” I said “Dhoni, he isnt in form, are you serious?” My dad said “Well, maybe a masterstroke in the making. Let him play son before we pass off an judgment.”

Dhoni and Gambhir just milked the Lankan bowling. Whenever Chakde India or Vande Mataram was played, all 31,000 of us sang it with all emotion to cheer up the guys in the middle. When the number of runs were finally less than the number of balls, there was a huge cheer. Each run Gambhir scored in his 90’s was cheered. At 97 he did something brainless, a hundred would have made him the immortal of immortals in Indian cricket, but as he walked back we knew he had done his job. Yuvraj walked out and as he made his way everybody felt “come on, just finish it. We cant wait.” The rule of life stands “The closer you get to your long awaited target, the farther away it seems.” It felt like hours, the last few minutes of the game. A lot of combinations were coming to mind and I was never more nervous.

There were a few run out calls, one referral, just to increase our nervousness. But when Dhoni hit three boundaries in two over, the game was ours. When the last six was hit, I felt as if it was hit towards me. I felt “Please come to me, I won’t give it to anybody.” As it disappeared near the dressing rooms I knew we had done it. The players ran out to greet the captain and the prince. We all waited for one man and when he ran out, the decibel levels of the stadium would have beaten three aircrafts.

The emotions were too much; we could see some of them crying tears of joy on the big screen, as that happened, I remembered almost everything since 2007. The effigies, the jersey episode in the mall etc, and then I looked in the middle and a tear came out of my eye. All of us were hugging each other. We barely knew each other but had been together for a moment of a lifetime.

Throughout these four years, I felt a part of this team. When they won I celebrated, when they lost I was gutted. I cried when we were knocked out the last time. When this one was in our hands, I felt as if it was in my hands and as if I had done it. No other personal achievement felt greater than this. My country had just won the World Cup and I was one among a billion happy people. A billion happy people, a sixth of the world's population, that's what was coming to my mind. It was made possible by fifteen men out there with the help of support staff whose contribution cannot be estomated in any terms but simply priceless.

I just felt the dream was achieved. Listening to Yuvraj, Dhoni and the other players was amazing. The cup was ours, it isn’t going anywhere for four years. The victory laps were very special and I was just soaking the moment. Taking a mental picture of almost everything. I had lived something that I had dreamed off. Then came the moment when Dhoni lifted the cup. When he got it in his hand, I said “Yeah that is it!!!! It is ours.”

As I got out, I ran towards the Churchgate station, ran on the platforms shouting “INDIA, INDIA, Cup Hamaara hai.” I met my uncle and he could see it in my eyes, all the emotion. In the train I celebrated and danced with random strangers. We clicked photos too. As I got down at the Santa Cruz station, there was a street party with a model of the World Cup. I joined them and danced a bit and then went to a nearby restaurant to eat. When we went home in an auto, there were many cars celebrating, honking and waving the flags. I stuck my head out of the auto and yelled “INDIA, INDIA.” Yes, I was living my dream.

Sports teach us how to live. The Indian team has taught me to believe in my dreams and if I do they will come true. Today, as a country we are facing problems with corruption scams etc. This victory has given us hope that we can overcome these problems. It gives us the belief that we need. Mandela used Rugby to unite a nation in 1995 similarly this World Cup win couldn’t have come at a better time. We as a nation needed it in such testing times to bring a smile to our faces.

DREAMS DO COME TRUE!!!!! HANG IN THERE!!!! BELIEVE!!!! AND YOU WILL DO IT!!!!

I will end with Mandela’s (played by Morgan Freeman) last lines from the movie Invictus “I thank whatever the gods maybe for my unconquerable soul, I am the Master of My Fate, I am the Captain of My Soul.”

DREAMS DO COME TRUE I

The Dream has turned to reality! A dream that was seen by nearly one billion people and was left to fifteen players with a support staff to fulfill it. When Mahendra Singh Dhoni hit Nuwan Kulasekara for a six, the entire nation celebrated as a dream had been fulfilled.

The movie Invictus starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon is one of my favourites. Sitting in the Wankhede Stadium I could see it unfold in reality. A team backed by people at home, playing a final with one dream, it was just like a movie.

On the morning of April 2, 2011, when I opened my eyes after a restless sleep, I said to myself “This is it!! It is now or never.” The pain of the last World Cup was unbearable and as Sachin had dreamt about this day way back then, even I did. On March 24, 2007, the morning after the loss I wore an India T-shirt and went to a nearby mall. People laughed at me and some even had the courage to ask me “Really?” I said “A true fan is the one who supports his team through good and bad times, this is a bad time and we will come back.”

On the morning of April 2nd, all this was going through my mind and I felt that a World Cup win would cap a great comeback from the nadir of the last world Cup. I call it a great comeback because; the team got a new winning formula immediately after the last World Cup. The wins against South Africa in Ireland, a good campaign in England and the ICC World T20 win lifted the team from the lows and when I look back that was the spark required to lift this World Cup. It is not easy to comeback the way they did, but it is even tougher to maintain consistency, which they did by beating Australia in the CB series and the subsequent successful campaigns.

As I walked towards the new Wankhede Stadium, the new stands had me in awe. When I entered it, it looked like a huge arena. I immediately texted my friends “In the theater of Dreams……WANKHEDE!!!!” The stands were almost empty as I was one of the first ones to enter. Even with no people in it, the stage looked set; it did look like a theater of dreams. This was the day Team India’s dream would come true.

The crowd starting building up and by toss time i.e. 2 PM IST, the stadium was nearly full. I have never seen so many India Flags in my entire life. I have never seen so many people wearing blue. It was a sea of blue at the Wankhede and my estimate is out of the 31,000 people there, atleast 25,000 would have been wearing blue. If they didn’t have an India jersey, they wore a Mumbai Indians jersey, if they didn’t that as well, they wore normal blue T-shirts to support the team they love the most.

The teams then made their way into the field to practice. Few of the players bowled, a few knocked the ball. They were trying to take their mind away from all the hype but they knew that it was the most important game of their lives
.
We all were waiting for one man to walk out. The man who has scaled almost all the possible summits in international cricket, the man who was a symbol of the dream of a nation to capture the cup, words fall short when you want to describe Sachin Tendulkar. When he walked out, as expected there was a huge cheer. He looked calm and determined to fulfill his dream of a lifetime. I just felt “Nothing can be more beautifully and poetically set, playing a World Cup final in a city you grew up in, the city where you learnt to play the sport you love the most, the city you love, this must be destiny, is it a dream?”

The toss time arrived and there was confusion. Nobody knew what Sangakkara called. In the stands we had no clue as to what had happened. I called home and asked my dad what he saw on television. He told me that the call wasn’t heard because of the noise and that Sangakkara had won the toss and elected to bat first. I was a little scared. The old saying goes “put them on the board in the crucial games and you are always hard to beat.” My dad said ”Don’t worry, if we are a champion team we should chase whatever.”

The anthems came and singing it with many others was a moment I will never forget. It makes you feel proud of the fact that you are an Indian and that you are here to support a cause that can bring happiness to a billion people. When we finished the anthems with “Jaya He, Jaya He, Jaya He” nothing else could be louder.

The Lankan openers walked out to bat, and the stage was set, all of us were ready……..

To be continued……

HOW THE DREAM TURNED INTO REALITY!!!!

HISTORY OF CHOKES!!

A team that has always had fantastic batsmen, great bowlers and the most fantastic fielding has never won a World Cup or even reached the final. The case of South Africa losing their way in crucial matches is something that cricket fans are used to and more often than not it has come when it looked like they would win without problems.

In their last test series before international isolation due to apartheid, South Africa had beaten a strong Australian side 4-0 in a test series. That South African line-up boasted the likes of Barry Richards, Eddie Barlow, Mike Proctor, Graeme Pollock, Peter Pollock to name a few. An unfortunate turn of events ended what could have been a fantastic test side. Had this not happened, who knows probably the course of South African cricket would have been very different and they may have challenged the mighty West Indies in the first few World Cups.

When South Africa entered the scene again in 1991 they looked a fantastic side and were real contenders for the 1992 World Cup. They reached the semis and were a victim of a dubious rain rule which left them 22 runs to get from 1 ball. Since then South Africa’s affair with knock-out matches has been rough. Apart from the first ICC Champions Trophy (ICC Knock Out then) 1998 which they won, they have lost almost all crucial matches that were essential for their progress in the tournament.

I am of the opinion that South Africa “choking” every time in such crucial matches is psychological more than anything else. It looks like the weight of history is a burden in such games. The 1992 semi final, the 1999 Semi final etc are etched in their memory when they go to play these games. What happens is that they go on to add even more games to this list as the weight of history makes them put pressure on themselves.

Here is a list of important games that South Africa have lost in major tournaments.

1) 1999 World Cup semi final versus Australia: Can anybody forget this game? South Africa did very well to restrict Australia to 213 a score that looked really chaseable given the batting line-up the Proteas had. They lost four wickets in quick succession but Kallis and Rhodes got them back in the game. Even when they got out, Klusner was hitting the ball all around the ground and it looked like South Africa would get through. In the last over with nine needed with one wicket in hand, Klusner smashed the first two balls for boundaries, played a dot and then ran to get the winning runs but his partner Allan Donald did not respond. South Africa were out as the tournament rules said that the team that the team that won the previous encounter between the two teams in the World Cup would progress.

2) 2002 Champions Trophy semi final verus India: This is one game that I wouldn’t forget. Chasing 261, Gibbs and Kallis were cruising and with the score at 192 for 1, Gibbs retired hurt and the started the slide. Two runs later, Rhodes was caught by Yuvraj at short fine leg, a catch that made the commentator say “Jonty caught by Jonty.” Kallis stood at the other end watching a remarkable slide. South Africa fell short by 10 runs.

3) 2003 World Cup first round: South Africa, the hosts won their games against the minnows , but lost to West Indies and New Zealand. With Kenya causing a few upsets, South Africa needed to beat Sri Lanka in their last league game. Rain threatened at one stage when South Africa were chasing. At the end of the over they needed to by 240 odd. Two balls to go and they were seven runs away. Boucher hit a six, celebrated and then blocked the last delivery. Out came the covers and later they realized that they had miscalculated the D/L par score, and they had just tied the game. As a result they were knocked out.

4) ICC World T20, super eights versus India: South Africa were the only unbeaten team coming into this game and India needed to win to qualify. India put up 150 on the board. To be assured of qualification South Africa needed to get at least 129. They bundled up for 109, India progressed and won the championship.

Apart from there they also choked in the ICC World T20 2009 and 2010. In almost all tournaments they have looked fantastic and like today they have collapsed from a very comfortable position. The team that they have is fantastic and do not have to worry about making any changes. South Africa will have to wait four more years for another shot at the biggest cup.

POWER HITTERS AND SEHWAG

Power hitters have become an important part of an ODI team. These players have the ability to clear the park, raise the run rate and also provide thrills for the crowds along the way. However, one moment they may thrill you but the next they may make you tear your hair out.

Hitters have been a regular feature of each team since the 1992 World Cup. The New Zealand captain Martin Crowe popularized the concept of the pinch hitter by promoting Mark Greatbach to number three and giving him the license to go after the bowling. The concept of the pinch hitter then evolved into allrounders who had the ability to hit the ball miles when Lance Klusner displayed his skills during the 1999 Cricket World Cup.

In this post I want to discuss three allround power hitters who thrill crowds with their batting but are not that consistent as they should be. I would also compare them to Virender Sehwag and find out why he is more successful and effective than them despite people thinking that he would go down the same line when he made his debut.

Shahid Afridi, Keiron Pollard and Yusuf Pathan are hosehold names when it comes to power hitting and thrilling batting. They are in the side because they can bowl as well. The biggest difference between the three is that Afridi is a much more useful bowler than the other two and off late has been concentrating a lot more on his bowling.

When any of these three walk out to bat the crowd is full of anticipation and always expects some big hits. These players can destroy any bowling attacks when on song but they can also disappoint their own fans and the team by playing some rash shots to throw their wickets away. Right since their respective debuts they have been the key hitters for their teams.

Shahid Afridi burst on to the scene as a 16 year old and smashed the fastest ODI century in just his second ODI game. He came in as a leg spinner who could bat a bit but was promoted up the order after the Pakistan team management spotted his extraordinary skills to clear the park. Over the years he gained fame for his batting and thrilled crowds world over. However, recently his batting has lost a bit of touch and he is more effective as a bowler. He gets out in ways that can frustrate any Pakistan supporter. Even as a captain he hasn’t shown a lot of responsibility with the bat. When he scored two centuries in the Asia Cup last year in his first ODI series as captain, it looked like he had matured but since then he hasn’t performed well with the bat.

Keiron Pollard is another young cricketer who has been a find due to the T20 format. He was a surprise selection for the West Indies squad for the 2007 World Cup. However, he rose to instant fame only during the 2009 Champions League when he powered Trinidad and Tobago to a surprise win over the New South Wales Blues. This made him a sensation which led him to being picked by the Mumbai Indians for a huge sum. He has been a T20 sensation World Over but is yet to live up to his talent at the international level. Many a times he has disappointed for the West Indies as he has lost his wicket at crucial stages playing the big shot. He is a real talent and a cricket fan would hope that he doesn’t waste it to the T20 format.

Yusuf Pathan was discovered when he was smashing bowlers during the inaugural Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the year 2007. He was a part of the Indian Team that lifted the ICC World T20 2007 but he rose to fame during the IPL 2008 due to his consistent performances for Rajasthan Royals. Since then he was in and out of the Indian side but cemented his place when he scored two match winning centuries in the ODI’s in the months preceding the World Cup. In the World Cup he has been quite and has had only one good knock that too against Ireland.

The problem with the three of them is that they try to play too many shots. The other team always has a chance to get them out when they are in. On most occasions they get out playing a rash shot when the ball isnt in the zone to hit. This causes a lot of frustration to the fans and the tem alike. If you look each of their last dismissals you would see that they got out playing a rash shot when it was required that they stayed at the crease a little while longer.

When Sehwag first played for India it was thought that he would develop into such an inconsistent power hitter but today he is one of the most feared batsmen in the world because of his ability to be destructive for a longer time period when compared to the likes of Pollard, Afridi and Pathan. The biggest factor is his attitude. He is cool and no pressure burdens him. Technically, he is more sound as his bat comes down straighter than the others. He also has the ability to choose which balls to put away. He doesn’t go after almost every delivery like the other but puts away those that are in his zone. The threatening deliveries are often blocked and the bad balls are put away.

Thus, these are the main differences between the other power hitters and Sehwag. He is as destructive as them but is more consistent and also has the ability to play longer innings simply because he is very good with his shot selection.

BATTLE OF THE UNPREDICTABLES

The first of the quarterfinals is here and we have the battle of the two unpredictables at Mirpur. Pakistan and the West Indies face off at Mirpur in the first of the quarterfinals. The winner of this match would face the winner of the India vs Australia match at Ahmedabad.

Both these teams come into this game with contrasting fortunes in the group stages but all that doesn’t matter now. What matters is what will happen tomorrow when they face each other at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

PAKISTAN

Pakistan have a very well balanced side and have come of a very good group phase in this World Cup. The win against Australia would have boosted their confidence even higher and the mood in the camp would be upbeat. Most of their key players have performed in this tournament and this would be a huge plus going into this game. They are known to be very unpredictable as they can be brilliant on one day and absolutely opposite the other. They are likely to retain the same side that took on Australia which means Shoaib Akhtar may not feature tomorrow.

Probable XI: Shahid Afridi (captain), Misbah Ul Haq, Younis Khan, Mohammed Hazeef, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Abdul Rehman, Wahab Riaz, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul

There is some speculation that Pakistan are mulling the inclusion of the extra spinner in the form of Saeed Ajmal. West Indies haven’t looked very good against spin thus it may not be a bad idea to make this change. This would mean that Wahab Riaz may have to sit out and the bowling duties of Abdul Razzak would increase.

Their batting order should remain the same but since their openers haven’t been performing off late they can promote either Misbah or Younis to number three to provide more stability and solidity.

STENGTHS:

1) Well balanced bowling attack with Gul, Rehman, Riaz and Afridi in top form.

2) Solid middle order comprising Misbah, Younis and Umar Akmal

WEAKNESSES:

1) Unpredictability: Against New Zealand nobody imagined they would concede so many runs in the slog overs. The unpredictability factor is something they should guard against and try to maintain consistency.

WEST INDIES

West Indies cricket has been going through a very rough period. They have shown some sparks on quite a few occasions but it has dies down with time. In the group stages they brushed aside the minnows but against the strong teams they didn’t perform.

Against England and India they lost from a position where they looked really dominant. This has been something that has plagues the West Indies over the years where they have lost matches which they should have won. Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter now as they have the capability to do well but the question is can they do it tomorrow?

There has been quite a lot of chopping and changing in the West Indies line-up and thus I will present my pick of the eleven that should play tomorrow.

My XI: Darren Sammy (captain), Chris Gayle, Devon Thomas, Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Devendra Bishoo, Keiron Pollard, Andre Russell, Kemar Roach, Sulieman Benn.

West Indies have a few tough choices to make. The exclusion of Chanderpaul hasn’t helped them and they have to drop Darren Bravo who has had a string of low scores. For a big game like the quarterfinal I back experience to do the job and Chanderpaul is my pick.

Rampaul’s five wicket haul the other day has created a few selection dilemmas for them. Roach will come in and will be partnered by Russell who has shown speed and penetration. They can drop Benn and play Rampaul but on a slow surface like Mirpur, Benn is a better option.

STRENGTHS:

1) Return of Chris Gayle: Chris Gayle’s return would certainly boost their confidence. Devon Smith is in good form and thus they have a strong opening pair.

2) Roach, Bishoo, Russelll and Benn have been impressive. Rampaul may not play but has one good performance. Thus, the bowling is in good shape.

WEAKNESSES:

1) Collapses: They have shown a tendency to collapse anytime even within touching distance of victory. Thus, Gayle, Sarwan and Smith have to score to put pressure on Pakistan. They have to agree on a set batting order so that each player knows where is is supposed to bat.

2) Weakness against spin: The batsmen haven’t shown comfort against spin and if Pakistan unleash their spinners, the Windies may find it difficult.

PREDICTION

Pakistan should win on the basis of their overall balance but you never know with the West Indies. If Gayle and Pollard fire anything is possible for them.

ALL LINED UP!!!!

It was the first day of no matches since the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 began. As a result it has been a very boring day for me and the eagerness for the quarterfinals has reached a fever pitch.

As I promised in my post yesterday that I will analyse each team’s performance (except India, dealt with in the previous post) in the group stages and also give my opinion on what they should do to win their quarterfinal encounters. We have the best eight teams of the tournament in the quarterfinal which I think is a very fair result.

SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa is by far the best team in the tournament. They have been very clinical in all their games except the one against England. Their middle order had a few problems in the game against England but since then it has looked a very settled part of their line-up. Amla, De Villiers, Kallis, Du Plessis and Duminy have all come good at some stage of the tournament and would take this confidence into the quarters.

The only small concern for them would be the form of Graeme Smith. He has struggled in the tournament so far and will hope to make an even better contribution in the quarters. He is known to rise to the occasion when it is most needed and I back him to perform against New Zealand.

There is not much to say about South Africa’s bowling. Clearly it is the best bowling side in the world. If AB de Villiers comes in one of the spinners would have to sit out. In my opinion Johan Botha may be dropped as Tahir and Peterson have done very well. Botha hasn’t done anything wrong but the situation calls for it.

AUSTRALIA

It has taken 34 games for Australia to be beaten at the World Cup and it had to happen in their last league game against Pakistan.

To be very honest, Australia haven’t been tested in the group apart from the game against Pakistan. They really needed a tough game to test their abilities and would now be in a better position to face India. They should retain the same team although I believe Cameron White should be replaced by Ferguson. It may be a risk for a knock out but who knows Ferguson may come good.

There are no concerns regarding the Australian bowling as Lee, Tait and Johnson have been terrific. However, in the game against India they should bowl more of spin on the Ahmedabad pitch. Thus Krejza should be partnered by Smith and Clarke in the middle overs.

NEW ZEALAND

The performance against Pakistan has really changed the confidence of the New Zealand team. However, one major factor is their slight weakness against spin. The other night at Mumbai they were struggling against Muralitharan and the South Africans may have seen it and made plans to bowl spin at particular batsmen with Tahir and Peterson. Guptill and Taylor are the key in my opinion. If both of them get in and play their strokes New Zealand would be able to put up a good total or would be able to chase successfully.

Their bowling has been good and should be bolstered by the return of Vettori. Daryl Tuffey has replaced Hamish Bennett in the squad and if he is included it might just be a good move. Fielding is their strength and it should help them save 20-30 runs easily.

PAKISTAN

One of the most unpredictable sides in international cricket has started to show consistency and will hope to continue this streak. Their batting and bowling has been terrific on most occasions and what has surprised me the most about them has been their fielding. Even the seniors in the team like Misbah are diving around to stop the ball. This team has self belief and would look to translate that into better performances.

As we all know on the days they are good they can be really good and the next day they can surprise you with mediocrity. This has happened on only one occasion for them in this tournament that was against New Zealand and it is good that it happened in the league stage and not in the knock-outs. All their departments are performing and should continue to perform if they have to do the ultimate.

WEST INDIES

This is another unpredictable and dangerous side. Three wins in the group stages that too all against the weaker teams doesn’t do justice to the talent that they have. Their bowling has looked good in this tournament which was a concern early on. Russell and Kemar Roach are doing the pacers job and the spinners Bishoo and Benn have also done well.

The biggest mistake the West Indies made in this tournament was the batting order shuffle against England. That has unsettled their line-up a bit and they should agree on a decided batting order for their game against Pakistan. In my opinion Shivnarine Chanderpaul should come in to play the quarterfinal. He may have been struggling, but quarterfinal, a big match, I would back experience to win a game and handle the pressure.

SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka is the most balanced side in the tournament. They have everything a fantastic ODI team needs. They have got some world class players in all their departments. In the group stages they played very well and the game at Wankhede would hold them in good stead. Their bowling and fielding has been fantastic and this should be a very decisive factor in the quarters.

The Sri Lankan top four is fantastic. Tharanga, Dilshan, Sangakkara and Jayawerdene form a very strong top order. The middle order comprising Mathews, Samaraweera and Silva have to back the efforts of the top four and should score more runs. One weakness Lanka have is that they tend to lose wickets in a heap at times. If I were Andrew Strauss I would attack any of the incoming batsmen as the chances of a wicket would always be there.

ENGLAND

The story of the tournament so far. Got out of jail against Netherlands, tied with India, lost to Ireland and Bangladesh and won in thrilling fashion against West Indies and South Africa. They have faced almost everything in the tournament and let us see what they do further.

England are a strong team but their biggest concern has been their inconsistency. The win against West Indies should hold them in good stead and should give them the confidence to do anything. People may say they are playing at Colombo and the track may spin but they forget that England have played two games on a turner like the Chepauk pitch and have had positive results in them. They should retain the same eleven that played against the West Indies as it is the best combination that can win them the match in Colombo.

NOW TO KNOCK OUTS!!!!

A month since the ICC Cricket World Cup kicked off and we have now reached the stage that matters the most. We are done with the minnow games, the points, the net run rates and all the other calculations and are now down to simple knock-out. We have the top eight teams in the quarterfinals and it is to be seen who can go the distance and lift the cup at Wankhede on the 2nd of April 2011.

The last group fixture was between India and the West Indies which was crucial from the point of determining the quarterfinal line-up. India won the game by 80 runs and will now play Australia at the Sardar Patel Stadium, Motera, Ahmedabad. The game is set to be a cracker as both teams as both teams come into the fixture with contrasting last games. India would go in with renewed confidence and Australians would look to win after the loss to Pakistan.

The India-West Indies game was crucial for both teams as they wanted to get a few things right before going into the quarterfinals. India got their bowling right after the entire struggle but questions remain over the middle order. Once again we witnessed a collapse in the slog over, something that has become a regular feature in this World Cup. India have played three strong teams in the group namely South Africa, England and the West Indies. In all the three games the middle order has collapsed in the slog overs after a good start provided by the top order. Although, the collapse against the West Indies wasn’t as bad as it was against South Africa, there are questions regarding the batting order.

India has to make a few tough decisions regarding their batting order. I think they have to make a choice between Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina. Yusuf Pathan hasn’t been very successful apart from the game against Ireland. There is always a risk when you play a player like Yusuf Pathan. On some days he clicks and demolishes an opposition but when he doesn’t it puts more pressure on India. He is the Afridi kind of a player but unlike Afridi he is in the team primarily for his batting.

Pathan’s bowling hasn’t been very effective in all the games. The batsmen are able to play him away for singles as he isn’t able to build the pressure. There aren’t many dot balls when he is bowling which is a cause for concern. Thus, it would be a better option to play Raina instead of Pathan when Sehwag will come back. Raina will add more stability to the batting line-up and the fielding standards would also increase.

Yuvraj Singh was without doubt the star today. The best thing about his batting was his application. When two wickets were down early he got his eye in and only put the bad balls away. He held the innings together with Kohli who also played very well for his 59. Now India have five batsmen in good form namely Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj and Raina. The only concern would be Dhoni and Raina or Pathan whoever plays. They have to complement the efforts of the top order and have to be more sensible when they try to play the big shots.

Dhoni showed good captaincy in his bowling changes. I wrote in the post after the South Africa loss that some days tactics work some days they don’t. Today he realized that there wasn’t much swing with the new ball and he held Zaheer and Munaf back for the older ball which had greater chances of reversing. The seed of Zaheer’s match turning delivery was sown when Dhoni made this decision. Ashwin bowled really well with the new ball but eight overs at the start is too many. In my opinion he should ideally bowl a 5 to 6 over spell if he opens the bowling. Zaheer Khan should bowl at the other end but should be as accurate as he is with the older ball.

The bowling performance was very good but they had to face Devon Smith who played really well. Ashwin’s carom ball was simply fantastic as the debutante Kirk Edwards had no idea where it was going. The delivery that stood out was the one that got Devon Smith. Zaheer got the first two deliveries to move away slightly and got this one to jag back a little and it found the gap between the bat and pad. From that point the Indian domination started. Harbhajan applied the brakes on the scoring which was crucial but ideally he should pick up more wickets as he did against South Africa. It was good to see Yuvraj Singh bowl well. He gave the ball good air and when you do that on such a surface it always makes it difficult for the batsman to put away such deliveries. Overall, the bowling and fielding performance was good and was just the kind of impetus required by India going into the quarterfinal.

Now we have two days to go before the quarterfinals begin. For the last one moth we have had matches everyday and I do not know how my days would go. Eagerly waiting for them start.

Tomorrow I will review each team’s performance in the group stages and analyse what they should do to bring their best out in the quarterfinals.

Till then, Good bye.

ALL SETTLED ALMOST!!

The results today have made many things clear in the ICC Cricket World Cup. South Africa beat Bangladesh by a huge margin at Mirpur today to confirm India and England’s progress to the next round. The battle at Colombo ensured Pakistan a place at the top of the table as Australia were finally beaten in a World Cup game. It has taken thirty four games for a team to beat Australia at the World Cup, just goes to show how dominant they have been.

Bangladesh were beaten comprehensively by South Africa. To say comprehensively is an understatement as it was a demolition job by the South African bowlers. On a slow pitch South Africa batted and did very well to get to 284. At one stage it looked like 240 would be a good score, but most of the South African batsman played well to take them to their score. Kallis was the anchor yet again as he ensured wickets didn’t fall after Amla, Smith and Duminy fell in the space of a few overs.

In such situations experience helps as Kallis was quick to assess the conditions and pace his innings accordingly. He took the singles early on and did not try expansive strokes. It was only during the batting powerplay that he opened his shoulders and played his shots. This is where the West Indies missed the trick the other day. Firstly the dropped Chanderpaul and then promoted a youngster like Devon Thomas ahead of Ramnaresh Sarwan. You cannot do that in the World Cup and especially in crucial games.

I had written in one of my articles on Cricketcountry that South Africa are sometimes susceptible to middle order collapses. Such a collapse was averted today as Kallis and Du Plessis played very mature innings. Du Plessis in particular was very impressive. He got lucky with one decision of a caught behind but like Kallis he paced his innings brilliantly. Du Plessis is certainly here to stay in international cricket as he is a very good batsman, an exceptional fielder and a tweaky bowler. It remains to be seen how the South African team management handle him in the course of this tournament and in the coming matches.

Once South Africa put up 284 on the board all the pressure was on Bangladesh. The Bangladesh batting just collapsed today and scored just 20 more runs than what they had scored against the West Indies. Some of the strokeplay from the batsmen was really tentative which one does not expect from a very talented Bangladesh side. The pitch wasn’t the easiest to bat on but it certainly wasn’t the one where you expect a side to get bundled out for 70 odd.

It was pointed out by quite a few experts today that Bangladesh are full of talent but their thought process must change. In my pre tournament preview on Bangladesh I had written that their batsmen play a shot too many at times. Many times they try to do something out of the ordinary which is not needed and that is what costs them. There is no dearth of talent but they need to mature a lot more. They have good bowlers, good batsmen and a captain who is counted amongst the best all-rounders of the World.

The progress they have made so far has got them out of the minnow category but they need that little extra to be counted amongst the top teams. For that to happen they should mature a little more, which I think will happen with time and in a few years they will be in the top league. The average age of the team is probably the lowest in the World Cup. It just shows how much young talent is there in Bangladesh cricket and in a few years all these players would mature. When this would happen they would be a force to reckon with. As I said earlier they are where Sri Lanka were during the 1992 World Cup. Who knows, Bangladesh may become so strong that they may be contenders for the next world cup? I wouldn’t rule that out any day.

Australia were finally beaten in a World Cup game. Pakistan continued their good performance in this World Cup and are looking good to go the distance. They had one bad game which was against New Zealand and they would hope such a thing wouldn’t happen in the knock out stages. Pakistan have shown consistency in the tournament so far and will really look to maintain that. The key for me has been how all their departments have performed. Their batting and bowling has done well on most occasions but it is their fielding that has really impressed me. They were not known to be a very good fielding side but they have really changed that. The youngsters in the team are really energetic and some of the seniors have improved. It was great to see a senior statesman like Misbah throw himself around in the field to stop the ball. The run out he effected was simply brilliant.

Australia have lost this game but shouldn’t panic. Most of their key players have been there and done the ultimate. They have the confidence in them to do it once more and it would be a mistake to judge them now. In the knock outs anything can happen. This is the most consistent team in ODI cricket so they can really turn it on then.

Kenya and Zimbabwe will face off at Eden Gardens tomorrow. Zimbabwe should win that on the basis of their all round strength. India play the West Indies and this game will decide the line up of the quarterfinal. It would be very interesting to see where the teams end up. Both teams should make one change each in my opinion. Ashwin should come in for India and Chanderpaul should play this crucial fixture. They may make more changes but these two are the ones they need to make.

Till next time, Good bye.

BUSINESS END!!!!

Andrew Strauss said that his team is very good at bouncing back and they certainly are. From a situation where it looked as if they would go home, they bounced back to keep themselves alive in the biggest competition. England have lost games which they should have won and it looked as if the trend would continue but a fantastic comeback ensured that their hopes stayed alive.

Strauss’s decision to bat first was a very good one. The wicket looked better than the one that was used for the England vs. South Africa game. There were lesser cracks and the bounce and carry to the wicket-keeper was much better. However, there was turn for the spinners as the result suggests. England batted well as Trott and Strauss looked in good touch. To say that Trott looked in good touch is an understatement as he found the middle of the bat right from ball one. He stroked six out of his first nine balls to the boundary. All the shots were classical shots not slogs. The ease with which he played those shots just highlighted his class.

In the middle overs England lost their way as Strauss and Trott fell in quick succession. Andre Russell and Devendra Bishoo bowled really well to get the breakthroughs. It helped restrict England to 243 but they could have done better when they got six wickets when the score was 170 odd. After that the West Indies looked really casual on the field as they did not push too much for wickets. Luke Wright was in and is a dangerous player but the West Indians could have brought the field in to put pressure and make him play the big shots. There were singles on offer for Wright which eased the pressure on him.

West Indies not only made mistakes in the later overs of the England innings but also in their batting. They made too many changes to their batting order which can have a very unsettling effect on the players. Darren Sammy promoted himself to number three and he played well but fell at a crucial juncture. There was no need to send Devon Thomas before Sarwan. Sarwan is an experienced campaigner and had he come earlier he would have had a better understanding of the situation and played himself in. Sammy and Gayle were blazing but should have been more careful on that particular pitch. In hindsight, dropping Chanderpaul proved costly. He may not be in form but in such situations it is experience that counts.

England are back alive. This may just be the turning point for them as who knows what they can do next. The script for England in this tournament has been that of a film as pointed out by one of the commentators. There have been upsets, great wins and a tie, a recipe for a super hit. They were brave yesterday as they made three changes to their team and gave World Cup debuts to those picked. All of them came good yesterday in some way. Wright scored crucial runs and Tremlett took a match winning catch. I had written in my previous post that Tredwell should be played but it was a risk. England were brave enough to take that risk and it paid off as he put in a man of the match performance.

One thing that would strike ardent followers is what next? If we go back to 1992 and analyse the way Pakistan won the cup, there is a similar pattern. The question is can England do what Pakistan did in 1992? Can they peak at the right time? If they do, it would be nothing short of great.

Today, Ireland and Netherlands faced off at the Mecca of Indian Cricket, Eden Gardens. Both teams performed very well with the bat but it was Ireland that stole the show. Ten Doeschate and Borren played very well to propel their team to a three hundred plus total, a feat that they narrowly missed against England. When Ireland walked out to bat, one would have thought that their chances depended on their middle order but their openers set up the win. They got off to a brisk start courtesy Stirling as Porterfield held one end. It was great to see Stirling come good. He got off to a few starts in the tournament but never converted them into big ones. Today, he was simply sensational and I say he is one for the future. He can turn into an even more useful player if he works more on his bowling.

The signs from Ireland have been very good. They haven’t been bogged down by the pressure or overawed by the occasion. It shows the progress they have made in the last few years. Now comes the time when they have to be promoted by the ICC. Rather than playing just one ODI a year against the strong sides, they should now tour a few countries. These tours will help develop the young talent in their team which at times goes to England with the aim of playing test cricket. If Ireland continues to perform well on such tours, who knows they may be up for test status.

Sri Lanka have beaten New Zealand by 112 runs. They are looking a very balanced side and in my opinion are the strongest contenders for the title with Australia. Sangakkara played a very good innings today as he ensured wickets did not fall after early damage but accelerated in the end. The best thing for me was the Wankhede pitch. For years it was a square turner but the relaying has been done very well. There is enough for both the batsmen and the bowlers and this is what we want to see.

We have two good games tomorrow. Bangladesh play South Africa, probably the most important game of their lives till now. If they win they go through but beating South Africa is a tough ask. Bangladesh can win if their left arm spinners dent the South African batting in the middle order. Australia will play Pakistan in Colombo. A game both teams would like to win to maintain momentum going into the knock out stages. This game would help determine the quarterfinal line-up. Difficult to predict who will win that one though.

Till next time, Good bye.

ENGLISH REDEMPTION??

Who would have imagined the Ashes winning England team struggling to stay alive in the World Cup? Nobody would have imagined England to be upset twice in the same tournament. When they take on the West Indies tomorrow at Chennai, they will only have victory on their minds as that only would ensure them a place in the quarterfinals unless Bangladesh beat South Africa.

England would go into the game with all intentions to win. One cannot expect a camp to be upbeat after being a victim of two upsets however, they have to put it behind them and perform tomorrow. The recent performances of England in ODI’s suggest that their heavy scheduling has taken a toll on them. They have been on tour since late October last year. They placed the five match Ashes series which was followed by the two match T20 series and the seven match ODI series.

When you look at the schedule you would see that the players haven’t had a proper break since October. They returned to England for a mere four days before coming to the World Cup. The feeling of returning home after a long tour was described by Andrew Strauss as “We feel Jaded.” Thus the World Cup preparations weren’t on track as quite a few players had rested due to injury concerns. Furthermore, four days of gap didn’t leave too much time for the team to regroup and have a few practice sessions. The result was that a very tired English side came to play in the biggest tournament.

The game at Chennai tomorrow is very important not just for England but also the group. It would help determine the various positions the teams occupy at the end of the group stages. Thus, it is a quarter final line-up determining game. Therefore, West Indies would also like to win this game and confirm their place in the quarters and wouldn’t like to leave it for the game against India.

The Chennai pitch had a lot of turn when England played South Africa. It was a dry crumbling sort of a wicket typically suited for the spinners. However, unlike the England-SA game it would be a day night game tomorrow. It would be interesting to see if there would be dew once the floodlights are on. The team that wins the toss has to bat first even if there are chances of dew. This is because the track would have turn and will wear on as the match goes on. You do not want to chase on a pitch that has crumbled even more as that would add to the pressure.

England have to go in with their strongest side. Their batting should stay the same as most of them have performed at some point or the other in the tournament. Strauss, Prior, Trott, Bell, Morgan, and Bopara should be their batting line-up. I think they should make one change in the batting order i.e. they should replace Collingwood with Yardy. Yardy brings his left arm spin into the equation and was getting turn when England played South Africa. It would make real sense to play him tomorrow in place of Collingwood if England want more firepower to back Swann on a turning track.

It would be interesting to see if they make any changes to their fast bowling attack. With the exception of Shahzad the other pacers struggled to bowl in the right channels in the last game. Thus either Bresnan or Anderson should be dropped and Chris Tremlett should come in. Chris Tremlett can give you the extra bounce because of his height and this may prove lethal on a slow pitch at times as some batsmen may try to be too aggressive. The other option they may be mulling is playing the extra spinner in place of the one of the fast bowlers. The off spin of James Tredwell may be a handful on the Chepauk turner. It is risk and England would have to be brave to take it. A factor that would affect their selection is the health of some of their players. Some of them are suffering from a few diseases and they would hope they have their full roster to choose from tomorrow.

West Indies come into this game with three comprehensive wins on the trot. Their bowling has looked good but Ireland did manage to give them a small scare in the last game. Kemar Roach’s pace can be very lethal on any surface if he hits the right channels. He has been good so far and West Indies would hope his form continues. They played Andre Russell in the last game but with Chris Gayle fit, Russell has to make way. West Indies should open the bowling with either of their left arm spinners. South Africa did that to dismiss Pietersen but managed to pick two more. If West Indies bring on the left arm spinners early on, it may put psychological pressure on the English batsmen even though Pietersen is back home. In my opinion, Darren Sammy should be the star performer tomorrow. His medium pace with nagging line and length would be difficult to pick on the slow surface.

The West Indian batting should remain the same with Gayle coming in. The form of Keiron Pollard is something to watch out for. He has performed well against the minnows and would look to get a big one against the stronger teams.

It is very difficult to pick a winner as West Indies are an unpredictable team and England have it in them to bounce back. The game should be a good one, let us hope we witness a great one.

GROUND REPORT

Eden Gardens is a ground that signifies the phenomenon called Indian Cricket. The craze and passion for the sport of the entire country is visible when ninety thousand plus people watch cricket in the huge arena. However, the ground hasn’t hosted matches that frequently in last few years and also lost out on the India-England World Cup game. It retained its other fixtures of the tournament and all of them involve the minnows. Thus, the huge arena will be relatively quite compared to its original self.

The fact that the Eden Gardens is just hosting the minnow games not only signifies the delay in getting it completed but also a problem with venue choosing. India is known to have a rotational policy in the allotment of games to stadiums. This rotational policy not only applies to the allotment of ODI’s but also tests. Thus, when test matches are held at the smaller centers we do not see the crowds coming in.

Let us take the example of the India-Australia test series held last year. The two tests were held at Mohali and Bangalore. The first test at Mohali was a thriller but we witnessed a crowd nowhere close to a capacity. Even as India closed in on a famous win, the attendance was disappointing. Compared to that, the second test at Bangalore was attended by a huge crowd and they witnessed Sachin Tendulkar taking India to a fantastic 2-0 clean sweep of the Aussies. When New Zealand toured after the Aussies, they played their test matches at Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Nagpur. Only the Hyderabad test match saw good crowds coming in but the other two tests were played in front of almost empty stands.

The fact that the crowds do not come to watch test matches at the relatively smaller centres should be a signal to the board to review its scheduling policy. Many times we see test matches being played in venues such as Ahmedabad, Mohali, and Nagpur with minimal attendance. Whereas the test matches played in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi attract a lot of spectators.

The question is why have this rotational policy when some venues do not attract crowds for test matches? The BCCI can take a cue from Cricket Australia which schedules most of their test matches in their main centres. They experimented with Darwin and Cairns to increase the popularity of the sport in the smaller centres but it did not work. Hence, the two grounds haven’t hosted test matches since 2004. Hobart is another venue that doesn’t attract too many spectators for test matches and thus not many games are scheduled there. It is just once in a while that we see a test match being played at Hobart. Thus, in an Australian summer when generally two teams tour, they play their test matches at the major centres such as Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

The ECB also maintains a policy whereby each touring team plays a test match at their home of cricket Lords. Lords, The Oval, Nottingham, Manchester and Leeds are regular venues for England’s test matches. Chester-le-Street and Cardiff are the smaller centres and do not host test matches on a regular basis.

The BCCI has to take ideas from their English and Australian compatriots. Thus, they shouldn’t designate the major venues as special. Venues such as Bangalore, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Delhi should be given the status of tier one venues. These venues should host most of the test matches India plays at home in a year. What helps most of these venues draw crowd is the fact that they are in the heart of their respective cities. Thus, after lunch or even when there is a brilliant passage of play, people flood in from the nearby offices and residential areas.

The small remainder of the test matches can be spread out amongst the smaller centres such as Hyderabad, Mohali, Ahmedabad, Nagpur and Kanpur. The stadiums of these cities are pretty much on the outskirts and hence not many people are enthusiastic to travel all the way to watch a test match.

On most occasions a team tours India for a three match test series. Out of the three test matches only one is generally played at any of the major centres I mentioned earlier. I think that the BCCI should reconsider this policy and should host atleast two of the three test matches at the major venues. One test match can be held at any of the smaller venues so that the test match enthusiasts of such cities are not starved of the opportunities to witness the longest format.

What this will do is that it will keep test matches alive as the test matches at the major venues attract huge crowds. It will also help build a stronger test match culture in such venues as we see in England and Australia. The players would also get the feel of the atmosphere which wont be restricted to ODI’s and T20’s but also test matches.
Many players dream of playing test cricket at a ground like the Eden Gardens. The almost empty stands during this World Cup at the Eden Gardens indicate a much larger issue than punctual work completion. This issue needs to be addressed to ensure the passion for test cricket lives on.

ALL ABOUT PEAKING!

When you lose 9 wickets for 29 runs there is no real excuse. A great bowling spell is only half the requirement for such a collapse but even the batting side has to contribute. How can a team collapse from a dominating position of 268 for 1 to 296 all out? A commentator on All India Radio put it most aptly calling it total surrender after complete domination.

Yesterday’s performance by the Indian batting line-up took me back to the 1990’s. Once Sachin Tendulkar got out, they collapsed like a sand castle. In fact, it was worst than the 1990’s as the Indian batting then never collapsed in such an unimaginable way. MS Dhoni has said that the batsmen were playing for the crowd and not the team and to some extent I agree with him. When the batting powerplay is on the crowd expect some big hits but these shots have to be played on the merit of the ball. After the dismissal of Sachin, the other batsman looked to go after everything sent down at them. They should have realized one thing that the surface wasn’t as good a batting track as Sehwag and Tendulkar made it look. Even though Gambhir got runs, he was struggling to pick the ball. The occasional ball would turn, and stop on the bounce. Hence more application was required. Ten to twenty more runs would have made a huge difference as they would have crossed the psychological barrier of 300.

The last two hundreds that Sachin Tendulkar has scored must be his least talked about tons due to the results and the performance of the other team members. This is good and bad. Bad because we all know that the team is not performing well and that such magnificent efforts went in vain. It is good because the fans are talking about the team and not the individual. There was a time when fans would be happy if he scored a hundred irrespective of the result of the game. Thus, the Indian fan is more sensible and team oriented today which is a big positive. However, this positive cannot eclipse all the negatives we see on the field.

Dhoni has always relied on instinct while making decisions. Majority of these decisions have worked and yesterday was one of those days when they did not work. When such gambles pay off we say what brilliant captaincy and when they don’t we criticize him. Thus, Dhoni alone cannot take the blame for the tactical errors. When a gamble doesn’t work it usually becomes a tactical error. Which is why one shouldn’t gamble too much as they only work if your luck is good on a given day. In crucial games you have to go with your tried and tested strength. Taking a gamble at such a stage is always risky.

One gamble that did not work yesterday was Yusuf Pathan at number four. It worked last year against the same opposition when Sachin got his ODI double but the results were completely different yesterday. Yesterday’s game was going on similar lines as the Tendulkar ODI double game till the point Sachin got out.

I also wouldn’t blame Dhoni for giving the last over to Nehra. This is because Nehra has been a very consistent bowler at the death and has successfully bowled the deciding last overs on quite a few occasions. Giving such a final over to a spinner is more risky as there are more chances of him being hit. Sometimes such moves work, sometimes they don’t.

Now comes the time when Dhoni has to make some crucial decisions regarding the playing eleven. Munaf Patel has been very inconsistent after the first game. He is bowling too many length deliveries at the back end of the innings when he is required to bowl the Yorkers. Ashwin has to come in to replace Munaf. If Dhoni knows that he has the temperament to play at any stage this is the time. The game at Chennai against the West Indies would be ideal for him to make his World Cup debut. In the England vs South Africa game at Chepauk we saw how the ball was turning. It is Ashwin’s homeground and with such turn on offer he is the ideal option to partner Harbhajan who bowled well last night. Ashwin hasn't been picked by batsmen. He can still be the mystery element and can spring a surprise or two. We have seen him bowl well in crucial games in the IPL and the Champions League T20 and now is the time we have to see him do it for India in the World Cup.

The South Africans looked completely rattled first up when Sehwag and Tendulkar blazed away. A team goes through a few days where nothing goes right and the champion Dale Steyn ensured that such a day was cut short. His bowling at the death was amazing as he looked to use the Indian intent to go after everything. Johan Botha is the unsung hero of the bowling. He was the one who really pulled things back after a blazing start by Sachin and Sehwag.

In hindsight, they paced their innings well but I don’t think they should go with the same approach in the coming games. Making a slow start while chasing always adds to the pressure later on. What if they wouldn’t have got to the target in the last over? We all would have blamed them for playing slow. It was good to see Du Plessis and Botha perform but I still believe Van Wyk is wasted down the order. Du Plessis and him should exchange spots and if that happens I think they would be in a better position to handle pressure situations. They have to ensure they do not leave too much work for the end while chasing.

The World Cup is all about peaking at the right time as Imran Khan said. In the year 1992, his team was almost about to go out in the first round but they peaked at the right time and won the contest. On the other hand, the runners-up England were beating all the teams but as the business end of the tournament came by they lost steam. In their last league game they lost to Zimbabwe and in the semi finals they just got out of jail against South Africa. Thus, in a World Cup the team has to peak at the right time. With one more league game to go, the Indian team would be looking to peak going into the quarter finals which they are almost assured of. Once you get past this stage it is a matter of three good days. Now is the time they have to make a few changes and try to peak. In this tournament, New Zealand have started to peak at the right time. The disastrous tours to the sub continent seem to have no effect on them as they have found their form after the fantastic win over Pakistan. Ross Taylor, you may have just changed the team's fortunes.

I have seen a lot of cricket and thus have witnessed many comebacks. There is a glimmer of hope for the ultimate and I will hold on to it and will not be afraid if it doesn’t live up to it. Hope defies logic at times but it is hope that sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.

QUALIFICATION ACHIEVED!!!!

I have watched quite a few international matches live but none beats a World Cup game for atmosphere. Even though India were playing the Netherlands, there was a lot of enthusiasm and eagerness in the crowd at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi. The game wasn’t of the highest quality but my friends and I enjoyed every moment of it.

The Dutch captain Peter Borren won the toss and elected to bat first, a decision that disappointed quite a few in the crowd, who had come to watch Sachin Tendulkar bat. The dutch openers had come out with a plan and that was not to lose a wicket early. I think they did that job pretty well as they stood firm in front of the Indian bowlers. The most striking aspect of their performance was the way they played Zaheer Khan. They played him with the straight bat, with good technique not allowing him to sneak through even though he was getting the ball to move. Dhoni introduced the spinners from one end as early as the fourth over which really put the brakes on the scoring. It was a good ploy as the Dutch are not very good when it comes to playing spin. Most of the Dutch batsmen play English county cricket on a regular basis which gives them an opportunity to play good fast bowling. However, they rarely get to play good spin bowling on a turning track.

The Dutch had a spirited but a slow start. In modern one day cricket the openers need to provide the impetus early on so that the batsmen to follow can consolidate in the middle overs. Once the openers got out, Tom Cooper and Ryan Ten Doeschate, undoubtedly the two best batsmen of the Dutch line-up, were left with the huge task of accelerating against spin. They got a few boundaries away but once Ten Doeschate fell to Yuvraj, the wickets kept tumbling. Peter Borren and Bukhari provided us with good entertainment in the batting powerplay but it was too little too late.

The Dutch bowling and fielding was full of spirit. Even though Sehwag and Tendulkar blazed at more than nine runs an over they weren’t short of a fight. I was very impressed with the way Peter Seelar bowled. He got hit by Sehwag but that did not stop him from trying for wickets. The best part about his bowling was the way he tossed the occasional delivery. Sitting at the mid wicket boundary, I could see the flight he gave. He mixed it very well with the faster ones and this is what led to Yusuf Pathan’s dismissal. Peter Borren was the other bowler who pegged India. He was bowling good line and length which was very difficult to hit. His best delivery by far was the incutter that got Virat Kohli. This particular delivery was able to induce a gap between bat and pad as Kohli played for the straighter one but it got through.

The Indian bowling could have been a lot better. The Dutch openers played Zaheer very well early on but then Dhoni should have continued bowling with Nehra at the other end. Nehra was making a comeback and he should have been given a longer spell with the new ball to get into rhythm. All the bowlers were economical but could have shown more penetration early on. Yusuf Pathan bowling very early is restricting the run flow but is not getting wickets. Harbhajan is not picking up wickets too. He has been very economical but he is the strike bowler and should pick up wickets. Chawla got the wickets but still bowls the boundary ball every over. The Dutch got away with a lot of runs when their tail was batting with Borren and the Indian team has to ensure that such a thing doesn’t happen against the stronger sides.

The Indian openers provided the crowd with a lot of excitement. The start was amazing and it looked as if the game would get over early but in doing so they lost wickets. When you are in a hurry against the weaker teams such a thing can happen and one should not read too much into it. They were trying to push the tempo so that everybody could go home early but they should be more careful. If the same target was set by a stronger side, they would have been a lot more careful. A win nevertheless, but it could have been better. The World Cup is all about peaking at the right time. Team India is yet to peak and their fans would hope they peak when it matters. They have qualified for the quaterfinals but are yet to perform to their best ability.

ROSSBLITZ!!!!

When a team scores ninety five runs in a span of five overs it does say something really special about their play. New Zealand have been a part of the most magnificent hitting that you will ever see on a cricket pitch. The run rates and the bar graphs of the New Zealand innings would have reached some dizzying heights and matched the sky scrapers of New York. Today’s match just highlighted how brilliant New Zealand is and how erratic Pakistan can be.

Firstly, it was great to see the newly built Pallekele International Stadium. The stadium is in the midst of some great greenery which just adds a lot of scenic beauty to the proceedings. The grass embankments on the sides must be a real pleasure for spectators as they can sit there with comfort and enjoy the game they love the most. Hambantota and Pallekele have provided the sub-continent grounds which one saw only in the other cricket playing regions.

The track at Pallekele looked really green and it seemed as if there would be a lot of bounce and carry through to the wicket keeper. However, there were occasions when the ball stayed a bit low especially when Brendon McCullum got out. But, overall I think the track behaved very well and was a very good one day wicket. It had a bit in it for the bowlers but if the batsmen got in there were runs aplenty for them.

The start was very mixed as Pakistan conceded a few extra runs and New Zealand lost wickets. It was a good ploy opening the bowling with Abdul Rehman the spinner but whatever good work he did was undone by Shoaib Akhtar at the other end. From the very first over he was overstepping which gave the batsmen the opportunity to free their arms and exploit the free hits. He bowled a few good deliveries here and there but all that effort was to no avail as he was conceding the extra runs as well. The worst of the lot was his throw to the keeper. He picked up the ball in his follow through and hurled it at Kamran Akmal who wasn’t in a position to collect it resulting in four overthrows. At the international level should avoid conceding such freebies. You need to tighten these areas as at the end of the day these runs can be the difference between the two sides.

The most frustrating part for Pakistan was the wicket-keeping of Kamran Akmal. He dropped Ross Taylor’s catch when the Kiwi was on naught. In the same over he dropped a regulation catch. When such things happen it just changes the complexion of the game and gives a struggling batsman the confidence that it is his day. What’s more is that it was Ross Taylor’s 27th birthday and he was showered these gifts by Akmal. Taylor was really struggling outside the off stump and when these catches were dropped they would have helped increase his confidence. The catches that were dropped proved very costly as Taylor played a great innings and scored 62 runs of his last 16 balls. A total of around 240 inflated to 302.

I have always maintained that the Kiwi’s are a very dangerous side and today they really proved it. Who knows they may be peaking at the right time. I have mentioned in my article on Cricketcountry that they need somebody to anchor the innings early on and that job was well done by Guptill. Even when he fell Styris made sure that there was no further damage so that the Taylor blitz could happen. On the other hand the Pakistan team should not worry and consider it an off day. They are a very unpredictable side and if such a thing happens to them sometimes it is better that it happen in the group stages.

Tomorrow is the game between India versus Netherlands at Kotla Will be there to watch it. Hope to come on TV so that you all can see. Till them cheers.

SUPER SUNDAY IT WAS!!!!

Super Sunday lived up to its name as we had two good games after the damp squib at Colombo. The South Africa versus England game produced a very thrilling contest as England clinched the game by a small margin of six runs. India beat Ireland by five wickets but it wasn’t without any fight from the Irish. There weren’t too many runs on display today which was good to see after three hundred plus batsmen dominated games.

SOUTH AFRICA VS ENGLAND.

The track at the M.A. Chidambaram stadium has traditionally been a turner. We have seen the spinners do very well on it whenever there has been a game there. That turner produced an absolute cracker as the narrow margin suggests.

England won the toss and batted which was a good decision but when they lost both openers to the left arm spin of Peterson in the first over things looked bad. I had mentioned in the previous post that South Africa should open the bowling with Peterson as Kevin Pietersen is not very comfortable against left arm spinners. I expected the ploy to work against KP but I certainly did not expect Peterson to pick up three top order players in quick succession. I was really happy with the way they got the wicket of Strauss. They had the man at long on and got Peterson to bowl from around the wicket. Had he bowled from over the wicket Strauss would have hit it a lot straighter and got a boundary. Overall, it was a very good bowling performance by the South Africans not to forget Imran Tahir’s clean up job of the tail. There was only one mistake they made as pointed out by commentators. When England were struggling to play spinners at 15 for 3, they got Steyn and Morkel to bowl in tandem. This in a way released the pressure a little bit a Bopara and Trott found it easier to pick up singles.

The England batting struggled on this slow surface and when they got to 171, it looked like South Africa would get it comfortable. The England batting has been performing really well in the tournament and I would call this one an aberration as the track was completely spinner friendly on which Tahir and Peterson made merry. It was good to see the Trott-Bopara partnership as they assessed the situation well and played according to what the South African bowlers sent down at them. Trott once again displayed his consistency but the success of Bopara is something the England team management would be happy about. He was called in to replace Collingwood and has played a very crucial knock. This knock may have just changed England’s fortunes in the tournament as it got them a victory to get back on track.

The South African batting was doing well till about 124 for 3. The wickets then started to fall in a heap and I just could not keep the 2nd ODI of the India-South Africa series earlier this year, out of my mind. The story lines of both games are very similar and it just highlights a small concern for South Africa. Before the game I felt that the South African middle order hasn’t been tested too much in their two previous games. A few wickets here and there would put pressure on them which is what happened. From 124 for 3 they slipped to 127 for 7. On a better wicket they probably would have got home but the England bowlers really tested them. The spinners Yardy and Swann did a good job getting two vital wickets but Broad, Bresnan and Anderson were simply impressive. The pitch was slow but they got the ball to move just a touch which really got them wickets and sealed the game for England. I was particularly impressed with the way Anderson bowled. Coming off three below par performances is always tough and when you have just 171 on the board it becomes even tougher to bowl. He held his nerve and answered those people who felt he should be dropped, including myself. This win may just get England back on track and they may peak at the right time. Their batting has been good and now their bowling seems to come back to form. We may someday talk about the importance of Bopara's knock and Broad's spell. Expect them to do very well from now.

INDIA VS IRELAND.

Just after the toss there were two surprises. Firstly, Dhoni won the toss and elected to field first and secondly, he chose to play the same team that played England. I could still understand his decision to bat second but I couldn’t fathom why he chose to persist with Chawla.

The decision to bowl first was a surprise but in hindsight I felt it was a good one. The track was different from the previous ones at Bangalore as it was dry and assisted the spinners. It also gave India the opportunity to chase against a weaker team which would give them a work out before facing the big sides against whom they may have to chase. Secondly, one really cannot predict a safe score at Bangalore keeping the two previous games in mind. It may have been a different surface but one cannot really predict after you have seen over six hundred plus runs scored on both occasions in the two previous games.

I really couldn’t understand why Dhoni persisted with the same bowling line-up. If Nehra and Ashwin are required to play later in the tournament this was the right time to give them some good match practice. They had to be played in these two games (this one and the one against Netherland at Delhi on 9th) just to test the combination. Yusuf Pathan’s batting may have justified the theory of playing seven batsmen but I still feel the bowling needs to be strengthened a little. If Dhoni wants to persist with this combination then he has to replace Chawla with Ashwin. Piyush Chawla hasn’t looked good in the two games and it would be a better idea to replace him with Ashwin who according to me would be a surprise package. The reason I say this is that he hasn’t been seen by many batsmen in World Cricket. They may have seen him or played him in the IPL or the Champions League but he is yet to be picked by them. He has many variations in his armory which includes the carom ball, the doosra to name a few.

One has to give credit to Ireland despite the loss. The fought hard right till the end which shows their spirit. They may not qualify for the next round but have won the respect of quite a lot of cricket fans. They have put up a very strong case for them to be considered a part of the World Cup if the number of participating teams is reduced the next time.

Not much to write about the game tomorrow as Canada take on Kenya at Delhi. It is difficult to pick a winner but I think Canada can win on their batting strength. Till next time, Cheers.

LOOKING FORWARD!!!!!

When a game is well set and it is washed off due to rain; one feels really bored and tries to get through the rest of the day. The Sri Lanka versus Australia match was well set to be a cracker but when the weather intervened the points were shared. There are a few positives that both teams can take from the thirty three overs of play.

Kumar Sangakkara won the toss and chose to bat first one a slow pitch. What surprised everybody was his decision to play three spinners. Rangana Herath replaced Kulasekara who has been very consistent in the one day format. Sangakkara made it clear that this was just for one game and this highlights the intent of the Sri Lankans to make Australia play more spin. The pitch was really slow today and Jason Krejza, the Australian off spinner was getting good turn and bounce. Had the match continued, it would have been a good contest between the Sri Lankan spinners and the Australian batsmen. Even a total of 220 would have required some chase!

The Sri Lankans would be happy with their batting effort. They lost three wickets but Samaraweera and Sangakkara played well to stabilize the innings. The stability showed by the two batsmen would give them confidence going into their next game. The Australians would be happy with the fact that they did not allow the Sri Lankan openers to get away with a flier. They got Dilshan and Tharanga pretty early. The biggest positive for them was Steve Smith’s performance on the field. He took a brilliant one handed catch at point and also scored a direct hit to get rid of Jayawerdene who was looking good.

We have two good games tomorrow as South Africa take on England at Chennai and India take on Ireland at Bangalore. The results of both games are crucial to the group standings. England are coming off a shock defeat to Ireland while South Africa are just growing in confidence at the top of the table. India would like to win comprehensively tomorrow after their tie against England whereas Ireland would want the dream to continue.

The game at Chennai is going to be an absolute cracker. As pointed out by Andrew Strauss that England are good at bouncing back and I believe tomorrow they will go out there with all the intent to win. They will be up against South Africa who have been clinical in both their games till now. It would be interesting to see what line-ups the two teams would play. Expect a few surprises from both sides as England would like to strengthen their bowling whereas South Africa will look to put up a combination that can beat England comprehensively.

The South African’s surprised everybody by dropping Botha for their last game and playing Morne Van Wyk as the wicketkeeper. In my opinion they should persist with the same team that beat the Netherlands the other day. Imran Tahir is doing very well and should play tomorrow as the Chennai pitch can offer turn. Robin Peterson should play simply because it would add variety to the attack and also the fact that Kevin Pietersen (KP) isn’t very good at playing the left arm spinners. They can open the bowling with Peterson to get rid of KP early on. This may trouble him to a point that he may throw his wicket away. There wouldn’t be any change to the batting order as the top order has looked really good. The fast bowling attack would comprise of Steyn and Morkel.

The shock defeat to Ireland would have been very hard to take for the England team and fans alike. However, they have to put their past behind and look to start afresh tomorrow. Their batting has been very good and they shouldn’t make any changes to it. However, they need to perform better in the batting powerplays. They should look to capitalize on these restrictions as much as possible. I am very interested to see what changes they would make to their bowling. Graeme Swann would be retained for sure and may get support from the Chennai pitch. Bresnan has been their best fast bowler and he is another certainty. Broad will play if he is fit and I think they should replace Anderson with Shahzad. They have another option before them i.e. playing the extra spinner instead of Anderson. It may not be a bad idea to give James Tredwell a game. Strauss should try to bowl as many overs as possible from Yardy as well. If they can improve their fielding and pick up their bowling, then they would be really hard to beat.

India go into the game against Ireland with a few question marks over their bowling and fielding. They have to pick up their bowling and fielding to a much higher level. These two departments were good in South Africa and they have to try to replicate that from now on. Their batting has been good no doubts about it but the bowlers have to do more to complement the batsmen’s efforts. As mentioned in my previous posts India need to take the risk and play five bowlers. Nehra should come in tomorrow and Ashwin should play in place of Yusuf Pathan.

Ireland would like to maintain their level of performance against India. They have been a part of a great game and should now try to improve even more. Their top order has to show more stability and shouldn’t leave Kevin O’Brien and the lower order with too much to do as you cannot expect him to play a whirlwind innings every time. The Irish have the confidence now and should try to translate it on the field.

Comments invited.

BANGLADESH BATTING COLLAPSO!!!!

It was a story of Calypso and Collapso. The West Indians did the Calypso today and made the Bangladesh team dance to their tune. It was total Collapso from the Bangladesh team as they were bundled out for just 58 in front of their expectant home crowd. It was just one of those days when absolutely nothing went Bangladesh’s way and the West Indians made merry on the surface.

When you look at the Mirpur pitch, you would find a lot of assistance for the spinners. Probably keeping this in mind and the Bangladesh spin attack, Shakib Al Hasan elected to bat. It was a good toss to win as there was a lot of turn for the spinners right from the start and had they got around 220 we would have had a game on our hands.
Right from the start there was a lot of turn and bounce for the spinners and as they day would have progressed it would have been even more helpful.

Sulieman Benn proved quite a handful when he bowled. He was getting a lot of turn and he mixed it up very well with the faster deliveries. The real dent to the Bangladesh batting was caused by Darren Sammy and Kemar Roach. Not many people were that convinced by Sammy’s appointment as captain and he really needed a performance like this to justify it. However, this should be the start of better things for Sammy. He proved today that he can bowl well and he needs to lead his side to more consistency. He is not fast but his line and length can be very nagging and you need such bowlers in your line up in the one day game. With him being the captain, West Indies do not have to search for such a player.

Kemar Roach is really steaming in since the start of the tournament. He didn’t have too many wickets to show against South Africa but I think he bowled well then as he was fast and concentrated on the right channels. When they played the Netherlands he looked absolutely unplayable. The best part about him is when he gets his rhythm he can bowl over the 150 kmph mark frequently. Today as well he was fast and bowled in the right areas. The best delivery in my opinion was the one that dismissed Junaid Siddique. Siddique was set on 25 and Roach bowled this fast inswinging delivery that hit the batsman on the full; plumb in front it was. Now that Roach is in form and well supported by Sammy and Benn, the West Indies bowling worries seem to have eased however they need to maintain this consistency in the games to come especially when they play India and England.

The Bangladesh batting was absolutely appalling today. The West Indies bowled well today no doubt about it but the Bangladesh batsman could have been better with their shot selection. Tamim Iqbal chased a wide one which he edged to second slip. Now this is something you don’t expect from your opening batsman. West Indies had planned that dismissal and had kept the second slip in place. Most of their batsmen were out feeling the deliveries outside off stump without definite footwork. Imrul Kayes, Naeem Islam, Ashraful and Shafiul Islam felt at deliveries outside off stump. Kayes and Ashraful fell to Sammy and Roach respectively while Naeem and Shafiul were picked up by Benn. Junaid Siddique was one man who got an absolute beauty but the others were out to poor shots. Shakib Al Hasan was in two minds whether to sweep or hit Benn straight down the ground and in the end managed to do nothing but get bowled. Raqibul Hasan hit a widish delivery straight to point in a situation where they needed him to stay. Mushfiqur Rahim picked the only fielder in the mid wicket region as he played a nothing shot straight to him. Overall, it was poor shot selection and we have seen them bat better on many occasions. They should now introspect and tell themselves that it was an off day and move on to the next game.

The other game today was between New Zealand and Zimbabwe. I didn’t get to watch that game and cannot really comment on it. One thing I can say is that it was completely dominated by New Zealand. The fact that they got the 160 odd runs without losing a wicket will give them confidence. However they need to find more consistency when they play the better teams. They have been good against the minnows but they need to play even better against the stronger sides .

It is super Saturday tomorrow as Sri Lanka take on Australia. It is a clash that we eagerly anticipate as both sides are really strong. However, I think Sri Lanka have the upper hand thanks to their spinners and the Aussie batting woes against spin.

Sri Lanka have to retain the line up that played Kenya. According to me that is their best combination. The batting comprising Dilshan, Sangakkara, Tharanga, Jayawerdene, Silva, Samaraweera and Matthews looks really strong. They have to ensure they don’t lose wickets in a heap like they did against Pakistan. Sangakkara , Jayawerdene and Samaraweera hold the key to provide them that stability in the middle overs. The Sri Lankan bowling is bolstered by the return of Malinga. His inswinging Yorkers are a real danger to a batsman’s toes. For Sri Lanka to win tomorrow, I am of the opinion that they have to play Mendis. He may have been picked by various batsmen across the World but with the current Australian line-up struggling against spin he has to play with Murali. If I were Sangakkara I would be considering opening the bowling with a spinner with Malinga.

Australia have got a strong batting line-up and a fantastic pace attack. The fast men can be lethal on any surface and even though the Premadasa pitch is more spinner friendly, it wouldn’t affect them too much. Thus, Lee and Tait hold the key and they should look to get the early breakthroughs. It would be interesting to see how Krejza and Smith perform tomorrow. Krejza may get hit for runs but he is a wicket taker and on the Premadasa pitch I would play him any day. Coming to their batting, they have to be careful against the spinners and Malinga. They can try to attack Kulasekara and Perera to put pressure on the Lankans. It is in the news that they have devised a plan to tackle Malinga. It would be interesting to see what it is.

It promises to be a great weekend. Will it live up to the hype? We have to wait to find out.

Comments invited.

IRISH INSPIRATION

When David is up against Goliath and is 111 for 5, do you really expect David to get to 328? Ireland haven’t just beaten England and caused an upset but have been a part of one of the greatest one day matches you will ever see. If we felt the Natwest series final of 2002 was fantastic, this one in my opinion is a notch above it simply because it was a contest between the weak and the strong. England and Ireland have always had a healthy rivalry in football and rugby but it was seen on the cricket field in Bangalore.

Firstly, the team Ireland represents the whole island of Ireland not just the Republic of Ireland. Thus, it includes Northern Ireland as well, which is a part of the United Kingdom. The game against England to the Irish is what a game against Pakistan is to Indian fans. They view it as a must win contest and more than the points pride is at stake.

At 111 for 5, people would have said “The same old minnow story” but who would have expected Kevin O’Brien to blaze his way to the fastest hundred in World Cup History. The best part about his innings was his clean hitting. When he hit they stayed hit. It was amazing to see the distance of his shots. The biggest of them was 102 metres and as Harsha Bhogle would say “Send the Javelin Throwers in.” He was hitting the sixes at will. If you have a close look at the way he played you will see that he played very sensibly. When a guy gets 100 in just 50 balls one would feel that there was a lot of crazy hitting but O’Brien was actually hitting all the length deliveries. Anything that was bowled in the right areas he was sensible to push it for the singles.

The thing that impressed me the most about the Irish was their attitude. At 111 for 5 chasing 327 even the biggest teams feel undone and only miraculously get there. Ireland winning was a miracle no doubt but miracles in sport don’t just happen but are made possible by some great performances. The fact that they are a minnows did not hold them back. Kevin O’Brien’s statement at the post match summed it up. He said that Ireland could have easily gone in a shell and ended at 220 or 230 and everybody would have been happy but people watching on TV looked for entertainment and they had to provide it. Another thing that was impressive was the support he got from the lower order. Cussack and Mooney got crucial runs to ease pressure. They took singles to give O Brien strike but also got the boundaries when needed. It was show of strength and it should help Ireland push their case forward in international cricket.

As I have written in a previous post that the ICC have to give the minnows more games. They now have to ensure that a Kenya like situation doesn’t happen with Ireland. Hosting a touring team for an ODI a year is not enough for them to develop. Niall O’Brien said in an interview that Ireland need to get more games against the big sides. They may not achieve test status soon but they can be helped to develop their domestic structure and an even stronger ODI side. If they can get more games against the test playing nations they would certainly improve and develop into a much stronger unit. However, they need the support of the ICC as they have to ensure that they don’t become another Kenya.

Ireland is the Australia of the minnow world mainly because most of their players play county cricket. Exposure at the county level gives them an opportunity to play with some quality cricketers. It is not just that a few of their players play for the counties but Ireland as a team also competes against the counties in their limited overs tournaments. Netherlands is the other team that plays in the same competitions but Ireland has improved much more than them. Cricket Ireland has to ensure that they don’t lose too many players to England. Ed Joyce played for England but is now back and Eoin Morgan is a regular feature in the English setup. If Ireland are made to play against the big sides regularly, not only will they improve but will also retain their good players.

England on the other hand have problems aplenty. Their bowling and fielding which was very good during the Ashes and the English summer somehow seems to have lost touch. James Anderson hasn’t found his rhythm and is struggling to find his line. He was better than what he was in the previous games but given the situation he could have done better. Bresnan and Broad too didn’t bowl well. They bowled too many length deliveries which were put away by O’Brien. There was no attempt on their part to bowl even one Yorker. One thing i noticed in the final overs was that they were successful in keeping O'Brien off strike but somehow conceded boundaries of the final balls of three consecutive overs. Two of them were edges but still they weren't the best deliveries. Their fielding was equally disappointing as they dropped a few catches which could have won them the match. I wouldn’t make the mistake of writing them off as this is a very strong unit. Who knows they may come up with their best against South Africa on Sunday?

Canada gave Pakistan a scare and it looked like we may have two consecutive upsets but Shahid Afridi saved Pakistan the blushes. Pakistan however have to see the shots they played. The pitch wasn't bad but it was poor shot selection at times that got them out. South Africa beat Netherlands with ease and as usual it was a complete team effort from them. It was interesting to see that they chose to play Morne Van Wyk in place of Johan Botha. It gives them the extra batsman and also allows de Villiers to fully concentrate on his batting but nevertheless his inclusion was a surprise.

Tomorrow we have two games as New Zealand take on Zimbabwe at Ahmedabad and Bangladesh take on the West Indies at Mirpur. New Zealand should win comfortably but they will have to play the Zimbabwean spinners really well. For the game in Mirpur, people call it the crucial match which will decide the two teams progress but I think West Indies should win comfortably as most of their batsmen have struck form and Kemar Roach is breaking the speed barrier. Bangladesh may win but mainly if their openers perform and their spinners dent the West Indies batting.