If you cannot defend 338 then you cannot think of winning the World Cup. The India England match ended as a tie providing a thrilling encounter to cricket fans world over. However, the fans of the two teams would not be very happy with their respective bowling performances. As a neutral I say what a game, but as an Indian fan I am absolutely gutted.
There were question marks about the Indian bowling prior to the start of the tournament but seeing the performance in South Africa I thought there was no cause for worry. When Bangladesh scored 283, one would have thought “it is an aberration” but after yesterday everybody is worried. What has gone wrong with the Indian bowling? There is no shortage of ability as Zaheer, Munaf, Harbhajan, Chawla, Sreesanth, Nehra and Ashwin are all talented. Ashwin hasn’t got a game but all the others have played. Zaheer has been the best and was the one responsible to get India back into the game yesterday but he gave away too many boundary balls at the start and Strauss capitalised. What he did in the batting powerplay should have been done much earlier. He looked to bowl the Yorkers and was very good with his control. The question is why couldn’t he do it from the start like he did against Bangladesh? Munaf was good against Bangladesh and did well in patches yesterday but he too was guilty of giving the boundary balls. However, I can excuse him for being hit for six in the last over as that particular ball could have gone in his favour but it was brilliantly hit by Shahzad. The spinners weren’t very good as well. Chawla did well initially but then got tapped. I couldn’t understand why he bowled those two deliveries in the slot to hit in the penultimate over of the game. He bowled Tim Bresnan with a quicker one but again why couldn’t he do it earlier when he knows the batsman are looking to go after him.
The other problem is the fifth bowler. Yuvraj Singh was very good in South Africa but at the end of the day he is a part timer and can’t be really depended upon to bowl economical spells consistently. Yusuf Pathan and Yuvraj have the duty to bowl those overs but one must remember that they are in the side primarily for their batting. Even against Bangladesh they got a few wickets but conceded runs.
The bowlers that India have are match winners. Now it isn’t about ability or form but about inspiration. Dhoni needs to inspire these bowlers to do better. He must take a leaf out of Imran Khan’s and Kapil Dev’s books. In 1983, the Indian team were ranked outsiders but went on to lift the cup beating one of the greatest teams ever to have walked on the earth. It was possible because Kapil Dev would inspire his players not just with example but even by talking to them and increasing their confidence. Imran Khan did the same thing in 1992 when his side was down and out but lifted the cup. He inspired his players to rise to the occasion and then we all know how they came back.
When I watched the bowling and the fielding it looked like they needed somebody to lift their spirits. Zaheer looked to answer the call for a wicket but the others weren’t doing enough. My mind automatically goes back to the year 2003. The Indian team at the end of their first two matches was in a similar situation. The batting wasn’t performing then and now it is the bowling. One man called Sachin Tendulkar inspired his teammates to lift their spirits and perform and India reached the final. The spirits of the bowlers need to be lifted by Zaheer, Dhoni and Sachin. If they can do it, Indian bowlers will certainly improve.
One thing they can do is continuosly show the bowlers videos of their great spells from the past. Show Nehra the video of his 6 for 23, show Munaf and Sreesanth their recent performances in South Africa. That would certainly help increase their confidence. Without doubt there is no shortage of talent, they need inspiration.
The first thing India need to do is revise their combination. When I spoke about this to my father and my friend Sooraj Bajpai, they were of the opinion that India should play 6 batsmen and 5 bowlers even before the India-England tie. I didn’t agree with them then but after yesterday’s result I fully endorse their view.
When I look back at yesterday’s game and the arguments put forward by my father and Sooraj, I see that they have a point. Firstly, the part timers are part timers and will go for runs now and then. Secondly, when the top order comprising Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Dhoni and Kohli is in form then one can take the risk by not playing the seventh batsman. Thirdly, the fifth bowler would provide India with the required balance and will help strengthen the bowling.
The batting line up would be Sachin, Sehwag, Gambhir, Yuvraj, Dhoni and Kohli. Sadly, Pathan would have to sit out as he is mainly used as a hitter and now that Yuvraj has performed, the team management may have to take this tough call. Now we come to the bowling. My attack would be Zaheer, Nehra, Munaf and Harbhajan. You have to play Nehra as he has the ability to get you wickets in a heap. Either Ashwin or Chawla should play as the fifth bowler. I am of the opinion that Ashwin should play as he is a better batsman and his variations are very difficult to pick. As leg spinners usually do in the one day game, Chawla may get hit around the park but it would be difficult to pick Ashwin.
This is the time the team management has to make these tough calls. You cannot be successful without taking chances and this is the time to do it. One billion people have their eyes on these fifteen players. A part of the billion has even given up hope and the Indian team has to rekindle the faith of the nation. All I can say is that I still have hope and although hope defies logic at times “Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.
Comments would be most welcome.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
SUBCONTINENTAL BATTLE!!!!
There is something about the R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo that makes it impossible to chase a target there. Sri Lanka and Pakistan produced a very good contest as they locked horns at the home of Lankan Cricket. Pakistan won the toss, a huge factor while playing in Sri Lanka, and had no hesitation in batting first. This game followed the general trend of the R.Premadasa Stadium that you win the toss, bat first get a good total and defend successfully.
The last time a team won chasing was in the 2009 tri series. Most of the games at the Premadasa are won by the team batting first. You win the toss and put the runs on the board and you are really hard to beat on this surface. You have to get a total over 250 which makes it really difficult to chase. Thus, the toss is a very crucial factor.
The Pakistan team approached their batting very positively. Their openers looked in very good touch and weren’t scratchy as they were against Kenya. It was a delight to watch Ahmed Shehzad walk down the ground giving the charge to the fast bowlers. When a batsman shows such positive intent it always gives the bowler something to think about. It unsettles the rhythm of the bowler and makes him try too many things. The aggressive gameplay was continued by Hafeez and Akmal as they took on the bowlers right from the word go.
The most crucial partnership of match was the one between Younis and Misbah. When three wickets were down a partnership was needed. They didn’t take any risks early on and merely took the singles. Once they got their eye in they were able to get the boundary every over. This partnership actually set up the Pakistan victory. When you look at their final total, you may feel that they were 15 or 20 runs short but as I said earlier anything over 250 on the Premadasa pitch is defendable. Murali and Kulasekara bowled some good balls at the back end of the innings that saved Lanka quite a few runs. The best thing they did was that they kept Shahid Afridi quiet for five balls. Kulasekara in particular was very good with his yorkers.
The bowling was very good from the Pakistanis but they have to really work on their fielding as they leaked quite a few runs today. The margin of victory would have been much more had they saved those runs.
When I wrote the team preview for Sri Lanka prior to the start of the tournament I mentioned that they collapse all of a sudden at times. In the post match press conference Kumar Sangakkara pointed out that the top order collapse is what led to the Lankan defeat. Dilshan and Tharanga started well although I think they consumed too many balls early on. They accelerated later on but then both were dismissed in quick succession. Jayawardene and Samaraweera didn’t last long and this added more pressure on the Lankans. Sangakkara, Silva and Kulasekara fought hard but it wasn’t good enough as Pakistan kept getting the wickets. Sri Lanka have to look at a few areas. Firstly they have to see to it that such collapses don’t happen time and again. Secondly, they have to play Malinga in the coming matches. He is being rested to avoid aggravation of a niggle but this is the time I think he should come in to provide more teeth to the attack.
Tomorrow is a big game for the Indian fans. England will take on India after their successful ashes campaign. India would be looking to continue their winnings streak against England at home. The last time these two teams met at Bangalore for an ODI was in the year 2008. In the rain reduced game, India emerged victorious and sealed the series in the process. England would like to change the trend this time around.
Both teams should retain the elevens they fielded in their respective first games. However, I think India should make one change by getting in Ashish Nehra in place of S Sreesanth. We know what Nehra did when the two teams met in a World Cup game the last time. It is just the occasion that may inspire Nehra and bring the best out of him. England would be a bit concerned about their bowling as it didn’t look very good against the Netherlands. They can get Yardy to replace Bopara as it would provide them with the extra spinning option.
A lot of mind games have taken place between the two teams. The England team want to spoil the Indian party and silence the crowds. Dhoni has warned England of Sehwag. The battle has begun but the real action will take place on the field. No predictions on this one.
The last time a team won chasing was in the 2009 tri series. Most of the games at the Premadasa are won by the team batting first. You win the toss and put the runs on the board and you are really hard to beat on this surface. You have to get a total over 250 which makes it really difficult to chase. Thus, the toss is a very crucial factor.
The Pakistan team approached their batting very positively. Their openers looked in very good touch and weren’t scratchy as they were against Kenya. It was a delight to watch Ahmed Shehzad walk down the ground giving the charge to the fast bowlers. When a batsman shows such positive intent it always gives the bowler something to think about. It unsettles the rhythm of the bowler and makes him try too many things. The aggressive gameplay was continued by Hafeez and Akmal as they took on the bowlers right from the word go.
The most crucial partnership of match was the one between Younis and Misbah. When three wickets were down a partnership was needed. They didn’t take any risks early on and merely took the singles. Once they got their eye in they were able to get the boundary every over. This partnership actually set up the Pakistan victory. When you look at their final total, you may feel that they were 15 or 20 runs short but as I said earlier anything over 250 on the Premadasa pitch is defendable. Murali and Kulasekara bowled some good balls at the back end of the innings that saved Lanka quite a few runs. The best thing they did was that they kept Shahid Afridi quiet for five balls. Kulasekara in particular was very good with his yorkers.
The bowling was very good from the Pakistanis but they have to really work on their fielding as they leaked quite a few runs today. The margin of victory would have been much more had they saved those runs.
When I wrote the team preview for Sri Lanka prior to the start of the tournament I mentioned that they collapse all of a sudden at times. In the post match press conference Kumar Sangakkara pointed out that the top order collapse is what led to the Lankan defeat. Dilshan and Tharanga started well although I think they consumed too many balls early on. They accelerated later on but then both were dismissed in quick succession. Jayawardene and Samaraweera didn’t last long and this added more pressure on the Lankans. Sangakkara, Silva and Kulasekara fought hard but it wasn’t good enough as Pakistan kept getting the wickets. Sri Lanka have to look at a few areas. Firstly they have to see to it that such collapses don’t happen time and again. Secondly, they have to play Malinga in the coming matches. He is being rested to avoid aggravation of a niggle but this is the time I think he should come in to provide more teeth to the attack.
Tomorrow is a big game for the Indian fans. England will take on India after their successful ashes campaign. India would be looking to continue their winnings streak against England at home. The last time these two teams met at Bangalore for an ODI was in the year 2008. In the rain reduced game, India emerged victorious and sealed the series in the process. England would like to change the trend this time around.
Both teams should retain the elevens they fielded in their respective first games. However, I think India should make one change by getting in Ashish Nehra in place of S Sreesanth. We know what Nehra did when the two teams met in a World Cup game the last time. It is just the occasion that may inspire Nehra and bring the best out of him. England would be a bit concerned about their bowling as it didn’t look very good against the Netherlands. They can get Yardy to replace Bopara as it would provide them with the extra spinning option.
A lot of mind games have taken place between the two teams. The England team want to spoil the Indian party and silence the crowds. Dhoni has warned England of Sehwag. The battle has begun but the real action will take place on the field. No predictions on this one.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
PROTEAS QUEST BEGINS!!!!
One of the favourites of the tournament, South Africa started their campaign with a comprehensive win over the West Indies. As usual, it was an all round performance by the Proteas that sealed the deal. The West Indies looked in the game for a moment or two but then the momentum quickly shifted back to the South Africans due to good performances by Imran Tahir and AB de Villiers. Both the teams surprised me with their combinations. I picked their possible playing elevens in my last post and both the units came out with some surprises.
When was the last time we saw South Africa playing three spinners and two fast bowlers in the eleven? Traditionally their strength has always been pace but today it was their spinners who helped restrict West Indies after a strong start. The West Indian openers would have come out expecting to face Steyn and Morkel first up but instead they had to deal with Botha. It was a brilliant move by Graeme Smith as it resulted in the early dismissal of Chris Gayle. Gayle likes the ball to come on to the bat in the first few overs and once the spinner was on first up on a slow Kotla wicket it was always going to be difficult to play the big shots. If you look at his dismissal he was reaching for the ball which just shows the slow nature of the wicket. Imran Tahir got tapped early on but he got four wickets which really left the West Indies reeling. Steyn was still lethal on a slow wicket and helped wrap up the innings. It was important to get Pollard and Sammy as they can be very destructive and Steyn got them for no score.
Once they bowled well, it was left to the batsmen to finish this game and it was done with ease. AB de Villiers has continued his good form and it was good to see Smith and Duminy get some runs as well. Overall, an all round performance by the Proteas, can’t pick any weaknesses as of now. However, as we move further in the tournament they would have to play only two spinners as some other tracks may not be as helpful. Although AB de Villiers got the man of the match, my candidate for the award would have been Imran Tahir as he helped get wickets when West Indies looked really dangerous. Give it to the bowlers sometimes.
The West Indies have a lot of soul searching to do. As one of the panelists at the pre match analysis said today “They have been consistent at being inconsistent.” When you have players like Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul, Bravo, Pollard and Darren Bravo, how can you collapse so many times. They have a lot of talent in their batting but somehow they don’t really gel as a team. The Bravo brothers were really good with the bat today. Both were aggressive and really made Graeme Smith rethink his strategies. I was really happy to see Darren Bravo play. You could see the Lara resemblance in the way he batted, his mannerisms etc. He has that typical Caribbean flair to his batting and it was on exhibition at Delhi. Most of their batsmen got starts but they tend to lose wickets in a heap and when that happens you don’t get too many on the board.
The biggest worry for the men from the Caribbean is their bowling. I was surprised to see neither Rampaul nor Russell in the eleven. Kemar Roach was the only genuine fast bowler in the attack. Bravo and Pollard are batting all rounders and can’t be depended upon to bowl with consistency. They took a real gamble with Pollard mainly because of his big hitting ability and it did not pay off. When you take such a gamble you have to make sure that such a player is efficient in at least one department. We know how destructive Pollard can be with his batting but it is a just a matter of when he clicks. His bowling is a bonus but I really think if you play Pollard you have to play him up the order not as low as number eight. For the next game, I think they should get in either Russell or Rampaul just to bolster their bowling.
A great weekend awaits us but let us first see what we have tomorrow. The Trans-Tasman rivals face-off at Nagpur and Bangladesh take on Ireland at Mirpur. Australia should sail through tomorrow but New Zealand usually perform better against their neighbours and we have to wait and watch if they can do it tomorrow. It is really difficult to pick up a winner in the game between Bangladesh and Ireland. Bangladesh are the better side but they need all their departments need to click tomorrow.
Australia and New Zealand should retain their line-ups that played their first games. If I was Daniel Vettori I would be tempted to open the bowling or let Nathan McCullum do it. It may help slow down the Aussie openers and possibly pick up early wickets. Let us see what happens tomorrow….
When was the last time we saw South Africa playing three spinners and two fast bowlers in the eleven? Traditionally their strength has always been pace but today it was their spinners who helped restrict West Indies after a strong start. The West Indian openers would have come out expecting to face Steyn and Morkel first up but instead they had to deal with Botha. It was a brilliant move by Graeme Smith as it resulted in the early dismissal of Chris Gayle. Gayle likes the ball to come on to the bat in the first few overs and once the spinner was on first up on a slow Kotla wicket it was always going to be difficult to play the big shots. If you look at his dismissal he was reaching for the ball which just shows the slow nature of the wicket. Imran Tahir got tapped early on but he got four wickets which really left the West Indies reeling. Steyn was still lethal on a slow wicket and helped wrap up the innings. It was important to get Pollard and Sammy as they can be very destructive and Steyn got them for no score.
Once they bowled well, it was left to the batsmen to finish this game and it was done with ease. AB de Villiers has continued his good form and it was good to see Smith and Duminy get some runs as well. Overall, an all round performance by the Proteas, can’t pick any weaknesses as of now. However, as we move further in the tournament they would have to play only two spinners as some other tracks may not be as helpful. Although AB de Villiers got the man of the match, my candidate for the award would have been Imran Tahir as he helped get wickets when West Indies looked really dangerous. Give it to the bowlers sometimes.
The West Indies have a lot of soul searching to do. As one of the panelists at the pre match analysis said today “They have been consistent at being inconsistent.” When you have players like Gayle, Sarwan, Chanderpaul, Bravo, Pollard and Darren Bravo, how can you collapse so many times. They have a lot of talent in their batting but somehow they don’t really gel as a team. The Bravo brothers were really good with the bat today. Both were aggressive and really made Graeme Smith rethink his strategies. I was really happy to see Darren Bravo play. You could see the Lara resemblance in the way he batted, his mannerisms etc. He has that typical Caribbean flair to his batting and it was on exhibition at Delhi. Most of their batsmen got starts but they tend to lose wickets in a heap and when that happens you don’t get too many on the board.
The biggest worry for the men from the Caribbean is their bowling. I was surprised to see neither Rampaul nor Russell in the eleven. Kemar Roach was the only genuine fast bowler in the attack. Bravo and Pollard are batting all rounders and can’t be depended upon to bowl with consistency. They took a real gamble with Pollard mainly because of his big hitting ability and it did not pay off. When you take such a gamble you have to make sure that such a player is efficient in at least one department. We know how destructive Pollard can be with his batting but it is a just a matter of when he clicks. His bowling is a bonus but I really think if you play Pollard you have to play him up the order not as low as number eight. For the next game, I think they should get in either Russell or Rampaul just to bolster their bowling.
A great weekend awaits us but let us first see what we have tomorrow. The Trans-Tasman rivals face-off at Nagpur and Bangladesh take on Ireland at Mirpur. Australia should sail through tomorrow but New Zealand usually perform better against their neighbours and we have to wait and watch if they can do it tomorrow. It is really difficult to pick up a winner in the game between Bangladesh and Ireland. Bangladesh are the better side but they need all their departments need to click tomorrow.
Australia and New Zealand should retain their line-ups that played their first games. If I was Daniel Vettori I would be tempted to open the bowling or let Nathan McCullum do it. It may help slow down the Aussie openers and possibly pick up early wickets. Let us see what happens tomorrow….
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
TODAY AND TOMORROW!!!!
When one witnessed a very spirited performance by the Dutch yesterday, the Kenyans were a huge disappointment today. The result of the Pakistan versus Kenya was expected but one would have wanted a much better performance from the Kenyans. They certainly did better than the New Zealand game but it isn’t just good enough for a team that was once a World Cup semi finalists.
The problem in Kenyan cricket as pointed out by me in a previous post is their lack of exposure at the international level. They play ODI cricket round the year but mainly against the other associates or against Bangladesh. The Kenyan side that played the 2003 World Cup final used to play against the full time members of the ICC quite regularly. All that experience helped them complete a fairytale journey in the Rainbow Nation. When you look at the Kenyan side today you will see that most of the players haven’t played enough against the full time members. Apart from Odoyo, Tikolo and the Obuya brothers, the others haven’t faced the likes of India, Pakistan, Australia all that often. What this has done is that it has left the newcomers in the Kenyan team struggle at this level. Some of the mistakes they made today were elementary and just goes to highlight their inexperience. There were too many extras for the liking and at the international level that is something one must really avoid. Not much to talk about their batting as well, Collins Obuya was the only one who looked comfortable. Seren Waters looked good at the start and if he can improve in the next few games then Kenya will certainly score more runs than they have till now.
Overall, it was a very clinical performance by the Pakistan team. Their openers didn’t perform but the batsmen who followed showed great maturity in building the innings. The batting order that they had today is I think their best combination. Hafeez and Shehzad opened followed by Akmal and Younis Khan. Younis Khan’s role is that of an accumulator and he did that job really well after the fall of early wickets. The Pakistan team would have to bat around him in the coming matches as he can provide them with solidity. Misbah and Akmal were good as they accelerated without taking too many risks. Misbah however should be careful in the matches to come as he played too many reverse sweeps today. Against a better spin bowling attack he may not be able to connect all. There is nothing much to say about their bowling as the score says it all. All they need to do is find consistency.
The game was very one sided today and there isn’t more to write about it so I would just preview tomorrow’s game between South Africa and the West Indies. West Indies may not be as strong as they were but the presence of some game changers makes them a very dangerous unit. They haven’t been helped by the injuries to Barath and Baugh and it was surprising to see that they selected the inexperienced Devon Thomas to don the keeping gloves. If I was a selector I would prefer Denesh Ramdhin simply for his experience.
The batting line up of West Indies is almost an easy pick. Gayle, Sarwan, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo and Chanderpaul are certainties. With Barath out injured, they should pick Devon Smith to open the batting with Chris Gayle. Devon Thomas would be the seventh batsman and the wicket-keeper. The fast bowling attack should comprise of the captain Sammy, Andre Russell and Kemar Roach. They have to chose between the two left armers to play the role of the spinners. Miller and Benn are the two contenders and we have to wait and see as to who plays.
If West Indies are to do well tomorrow then the onus is on their batting. There are some dangerous players in that batting order and on their day they can literally reduce the bowlers to tears. The problem is their bowling. Jerome Taylor is missing and that according to me is a huge blow as the fast bowling attack isn’t very experienced. Kemar Roach may do well as he has raw pace but he has to be well supported by Sammy and Russell. Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo would have to complete the quota of the fifth bowler.
The South African team looks really formidable despite the fact that only four of them have World Cup experience. When you look at such a strong side you would be surprised to know that the likes of Amla, Steyn, Morkel and Duminy are playing their first World Cup. The Proteas eleven for tomorrow should be the same they fielded in the last two ODI’s against India last month. The only change being the return of Jaques Kallis. Smith, Amla, Kallis, de Villiers, Duminy, Van Wyk, Botha, Peterson, Steyn, Morkel and Tsotsobe should be the playing eleven for tomorrow. There is speculation that Imran Tahir would play but I don’t think it would be a right move as Peterson plays the role of the extra batsman. They do not have a hard hitting all rounder at no.7 after Albie Morkel was dropped which makes it important to play Peterson who can give the ball a whack.
Just on the basis of the bowling, South Africa should win but when you have Gayle in your team you cannot predict what he can do to the best bowling attack. I am more interested to see how the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch would play. Nobody would forget the India Sri Lanka game of late 2009 and a few IPL games. Hopefully, it plays well….all answers tomorrow.
The problem in Kenyan cricket as pointed out by me in a previous post is their lack of exposure at the international level. They play ODI cricket round the year but mainly against the other associates or against Bangladesh. The Kenyan side that played the 2003 World Cup final used to play against the full time members of the ICC quite regularly. All that experience helped them complete a fairytale journey in the Rainbow Nation. When you look at the Kenyan side today you will see that most of the players haven’t played enough against the full time members. Apart from Odoyo, Tikolo and the Obuya brothers, the others haven’t faced the likes of India, Pakistan, Australia all that often. What this has done is that it has left the newcomers in the Kenyan team struggle at this level. Some of the mistakes they made today were elementary and just goes to highlight their inexperience. There were too many extras for the liking and at the international level that is something one must really avoid. Not much to talk about their batting as well, Collins Obuya was the only one who looked comfortable. Seren Waters looked good at the start and if he can improve in the next few games then Kenya will certainly score more runs than they have till now.
Overall, it was a very clinical performance by the Pakistan team. Their openers didn’t perform but the batsmen who followed showed great maturity in building the innings. The batting order that they had today is I think their best combination. Hafeez and Shehzad opened followed by Akmal and Younis Khan. Younis Khan’s role is that of an accumulator and he did that job really well after the fall of early wickets. The Pakistan team would have to bat around him in the coming matches as he can provide them with solidity. Misbah and Akmal were good as they accelerated without taking too many risks. Misbah however should be careful in the matches to come as he played too many reverse sweeps today. Against a better spin bowling attack he may not be able to connect all. There is nothing much to say about their bowling as the score says it all. All they need to do is find consistency.
The game was very one sided today and there isn’t more to write about it so I would just preview tomorrow’s game between South Africa and the West Indies. West Indies may not be as strong as they were but the presence of some game changers makes them a very dangerous unit. They haven’t been helped by the injuries to Barath and Baugh and it was surprising to see that they selected the inexperienced Devon Thomas to don the keeping gloves. If I was a selector I would prefer Denesh Ramdhin simply for his experience.
The batting line up of West Indies is almost an easy pick. Gayle, Sarwan, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo and Chanderpaul are certainties. With Barath out injured, they should pick Devon Smith to open the batting with Chris Gayle. Devon Thomas would be the seventh batsman and the wicket-keeper. The fast bowling attack should comprise of the captain Sammy, Andre Russell and Kemar Roach. They have to chose between the two left armers to play the role of the spinners. Miller and Benn are the two contenders and we have to wait and see as to who plays.
If West Indies are to do well tomorrow then the onus is on their batting. There are some dangerous players in that batting order and on their day they can literally reduce the bowlers to tears. The problem is their bowling. Jerome Taylor is missing and that according to me is a huge blow as the fast bowling attack isn’t very experienced. Kemar Roach may do well as he has raw pace but he has to be well supported by Sammy and Russell. Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo would have to complete the quota of the fifth bowler.
The South African team looks really formidable despite the fact that only four of them have World Cup experience. When you look at such a strong side you would be surprised to know that the likes of Amla, Steyn, Morkel and Duminy are playing their first World Cup. The Proteas eleven for tomorrow should be the same they fielded in the last two ODI’s against India last month. The only change being the return of Jaques Kallis. Smith, Amla, Kallis, de Villiers, Duminy, Van Wyk, Botha, Peterson, Steyn, Morkel and Tsotsobe should be the playing eleven for tomorrow. There is speculation that Imran Tahir would play but I don’t think it would be a right move as Peterson plays the role of the extra batsman. They do not have a hard hitting all rounder at no.7 after Albie Morkel was dropped which makes it important to play Peterson who can give the ball a whack.
Just on the basis of the bowling, South Africa should win but when you have Gayle in your team you cannot predict what he can do to the best bowling attack. I am more interested to see how the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch would play. Nobody would forget the India Sri Lanka game of late 2009 and a few IPL games. Hopefully, it plays well….all answers tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
ORANGE ENCOUNTER!!!!
When I wrote the post the other day supporting the participation of minnows, I just hoped that some of them would put up some spirited performances. If the Zimbabwe bowling was spirited, the Netherlands overall show was simply fantastic. The Dutchmen were very good as they managed to give a strong England side a scare or two at Nagpur.
When Peter Borren, the Dutch captain won the toss and chose to bat, one would have expected England to restrict them to a small score without any problems. However, right from ball one the openers looked at ease against the England bowling. In my preview of the Netherlands team I had said that the performance of the county cricketers would be really crucial if they are to impress and who better than Ryan ten Doeschate to prove my point. It was really good to see the way he paced his innings. He took the singles and ensured that the score kept ticking. His strike rate was right up there despite not getting too many boundaries initially. I think Tom Cooper played a very crucial innings to support ten Doeschate. They lost their openers in quick succession and somebody was required to stay there and ensure wickets do not fall. His knock actually set the tone for the innings to go big later on. He was unlucky to get out the way he did but will have to make sure he doesn’t make the same mistake in the matches to come. Zuiderent didnt get a significant score and in the coming matches he has to ensure that he contributes as he is their mainstay. Peter Borren and Tom de Grooth were very good as they played brisk knocks to push the tempo.
With around 188 for 4 at the end of 40 overs, I expected England to restrict them to less than 250 but the Dutch batting in the last ten overs was brilliant. They took the batting powerplay at the right time and Borren and ten Doeschate made very good use of it. To score more than 10 runs an over against a top team is really noteworthy. They picked the gaps well and also played some very crafty strokes. Ryan ten Doeschate had his fair share of luck as England dropped a few chances but what matters is that he made it count.
The Dutch bowled with spirit but i think their batting is much stronger than their bowling. Their fast bowlers bowl in the mid 120's which doesnt really worry batsmen at the international level. The left arm spinner Seelar was very good today and maybe in the coming games they can play the off spinner Raja along with him. Dutch can impress further only if they bat well and improve their bowling.
The thing that surprised me the most was England’s fielding. Usually a very sharp unit on the field, they were ordinary today. There were a few misfields and few shocking moments. Two of their errors were simply unforgivable. When Peter Borren was bowled in the penultimate over of the Dutch innings, it was ruled a no ball as only three men were in the inner circle. This is something we don’t see from teams playing at that level. The worst part was that they almost did it again. They were lucky that James Anderson realized and stopped just prior to delivering the ball. The second error was the dropped chance off Swann. Swann did all the hard work and invited ten Doeschate to play an aggressive shot. It went miles up and the fielders at long on and long off just stood there looking at each other. There wasn’t much crowd today that the fielders couldn’t hear each others call. Andy Flower would have put that in his notebook and would remind the players not to do this again. Their next game is against India at Bangalore and the noise there would be deafening so they have to make sure that they call loud and clear.
The England batting was good though there were a few scares towards the end. They would be happy that all their batsmen who batted got significant scores on the board and spent valuable time in the middle. Pietersen opened today and looked in good touch. Somehow he played too many shots straight to the fielders and 39 from 61 balls doesn’t show the quality of shots he played. Andrew Strauss was really good today. Whenever he gets runs it doesn’t look like he is getting them quicky but he usually does. Viv Richards said in an interview that there are a few players in World Cricket who play all the orthodox shots and don’t make it look as if they are scoring fast. However, when you look at their strike rates they are really high. Strauss and Trott are batsmen who fall in that category. They would keep the score ticking and get the occasional boundary. When these guys get in it is very difficult to get one past them. The England batting looks really good and they have nothing to worry on that front.
The problem that England have had off late is their bowling. Broad, Swann and Bresnan have all come out of injuries and are yet to get their rhythm back. Broad was good in the warm up games but he is yet to get back to his best. England would hope he can get there before the India game. Swann looked really good today but he will perform much better as the tournament progresses. He mixed it up very well, varied his pace, gave it flight and picked up two important wickets. He would have had three had that catch been taken. The major problem for England has been the form of Jimmy Anderson. He wasn’t getting his line right today as he bowled too many full tosses trying for the Yorkers. He was good in the ashes but has looked off colour in the shorter version. This bowling attack is really strong and it is a matter of time before they come into form. If they do come into form soon, England would be really hard to beat.
The Dutch may have lost but they have certainly won accolades. In the final overs one could just see their inexperience in international cricket as they leaked too many singles and twos. Collingwood and Bopara made it look all too easy then. The Dutch can take pride in the fact that they fought and have presented a very strong case for the minnows.
Pakistan start their campaign tomorrow against Kenya. It should be an easy win for them in Colombo. As a fan I just hope Kenya performs better and for that to happen Tikolo, Ouma and Odoyo have to put in good performances. Lots more to follow…..
When Peter Borren, the Dutch captain won the toss and chose to bat, one would have expected England to restrict them to a small score without any problems. However, right from ball one the openers looked at ease against the England bowling. In my preview of the Netherlands team I had said that the performance of the county cricketers would be really crucial if they are to impress and who better than Ryan ten Doeschate to prove my point. It was really good to see the way he paced his innings. He took the singles and ensured that the score kept ticking. His strike rate was right up there despite not getting too many boundaries initially. I think Tom Cooper played a very crucial innings to support ten Doeschate. They lost their openers in quick succession and somebody was required to stay there and ensure wickets do not fall. His knock actually set the tone for the innings to go big later on. He was unlucky to get out the way he did but will have to make sure he doesn’t make the same mistake in the matches to come. Zuiderent didnt get a significant score and in the coming matches he has to ensure that he contributes as he is their mainstay. Peter Borren and Tom de Grooth were very good as they played brisk knocks to push the tempo.
With around 188 for 4 at the end of 40 overs, I expected England to restrict them to less than 250 but the Dutch batting in the last ten overs was brilliant. They took the batting powerplay at the right time and Borren and ten Doeschate made very good use of it. To score more than 10 runs an over against a top team is really noteworthy. They picked the gaps well and also played some very crafty strokes. Ryan ten Doeschate had his fair share of luck as England dropped a few chances but what matters is that he made it count.
The Dutch bowled with spirit but i think their batting is much stronger than their bowling. Their fast bowlers bowl in the mid 120's which doesnt really worry batsmen at the international level. The left arm spinner Seelar was very good today and maybe in the coming games they can play the off spinner Raja along with him. Dutch can impress further only if they bat well and improve their bowling.
The thing that surprised me the most was England’s fielding. Usually a very sharp unit on the field, they were ordinary today. There were a few misfields and few shocking moments. Two of their errors were simply unforgivable. When Peter Borren was bowled in the penultimate over of the Dutch innings, it was ruled a no ball as only three men were in the inner circle. This is something we don’t see from teams playing at that level. The worst part was that they almost did it again. They were lucky that James Anderson realized and stopped just prior to delivering the ball. The second error was the dropped chance off Swann. Swann did all the hard work and invited ten Doeschate to play an aggressive shot. It went miles up and the fielders at long on and long off just stood there looking at each other. There wasn’t much crowd today that the fielders couldn’t hear each others call. Andy Flower would have put that in his notebook and would remind the players not to do this again. Their next game is against India at Bangalore and the noise there would be deafening so they have to make sure that they call loud and clear.
The England batting was good though there were a few scares towards the end. They would be happy that all their batsmen who batted got significant scores on the board and spent valuable time in the middle. Pietersen opened today and looked in good touch. Somehow he played too many shots straight to the fielders and 39 from 61 balls doesn’t show the quality of shots he played. Andrew Strauss was really good today. Whenever he gets runs it doesn’t look like he is getting them quicky but he usually does. Viv Richards said in an interview that there are a few players in World Cricket who play all the orthodox shots and don’t make it look as if they are scoring fast. However, when you look at their strike rates they are really high. Strauss and Trott are batsmen who fall in that category. They would keep the score ticking and get the occasional boundary. When these guys get in it is very difficult to get one past them. The England batting looks really good and they have nothing to worry on that front.
The problem that England have had off late is their bowling. Broad, Swann and Bresnan have all come out of injuries and are yet to get their rhythm back. Broad was good in the warm up games but he is yet to get back to his best. England would hope he can get there before the India game. Swann looked really good today but he will perform much better as the tournament progresses. He mixed it up very well, varied his pace, gave it flight and picked up two important wickets. He would have had three had that catch been taken. The major problem for England has been the form of Jimmy Anderson. He wasn’t getting his line right today as he bowled too many full tosses trying for the Yorkers. He was good in the ashes but has looked off colour in the shorter version. This bowling attack is really strong and it is a matter of time before they come into form. If they do come into form soon, England would be really hard to beat.
The Dutch may have lost but they have certainly won accolades. In the final overs one could just see their inexperience in international cricket as they leaked too many singles and twos. Collingwood and Bopara made it look all too easy then. The Dutch can take pride in the fact that they fought and have presented a very strong case for the minnows.
Pakistan start their campaign tomorrow against Kenya. It should be an easy win for them in Colombo. As a fan I just hope Kenya performs better and for that to happen Tikolo, Ouma and Odoyo have to put in good performances. Lots more to follow…..
THE SPINNING WEB
Spin was always going to be a big factor in this World Cup and some of the warm up games bear testament to that fact. On the first two days of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 we had witnessed mismatches which resulted in one sided contests. However, today we saw the Zimbabwean bowlers really giving the Australian batsmen a hard time at Ahmedabad. How did that happen? Were the Zimbabweans very good or the Australian batsmen faltered in their approach?
In my opinion the answer to the last question is a bit of both. While the Zimbabwean bowlers bowled very well, one would expect the Australian batsman to dominate proceedings simply because of their class and ability. Zimbabwe went into the game with just two seam bowlers namely Mpofu and Chigumbura. Mpofu bowled well picking up two wickets but got tapped at the end of the innings. However, when he bowled with the new ball and in the middle overs he was in control. He was mixing it up well, the Yorkers, the slower ones, the off cutters etc. For their games to come Zimbabwe need somebody to support Mpofu. With Ed Rainsford ruled out due to injury, they need a fast bowler to complement Mpofu’s good work. Chigumbura bowled just two overs today and didn't seem to get his line right. They may have opened with the spinners at the other end but when they will be up against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, it would be a good idea to do so. This is simply because the Sri Lankan and Pakistani batsmen are much better players of spin than the Australians. If they open with the spinner it may work against them as these batsmen may take a liking to him and hit him all over the park.
The thing that struck me the most about Mpofu was his fielding. He was very quick and has a very strong arm. His direct hit from the deep that got rid of Ricky Ponting was simply amazing. If Zimbabwe are to impress in this tournament, Mpofu is one of their keys. Overall, the Zimbabwean fielding was very good. They would have easily saved around 20-30 runs.
Mpofu’s new ball partner wasn’t Chigumbura but Raymond Price. I felt it was very good move given the Australian batsmen’s recent discomfort in playing spin. As pointed out by Sourav Ganguly, Price wasn’t getting turn but was merely angling it in to the batsmen. The angle was very good as the batsmen were not able to play him through the off side. Watson and Haddin were satisfied to block and push for the singles. Haddin is a very good player of fast bowling and it looked like Zimbabwe were prepared to bowl spin upfront to restrict the flow of runs from his bat. His innings was very bizarre given the fact that he is required to push the tempo. Watson also didn’t look all that comfortable playing spin initially and it was only later on that he took the initiative and attacked the bowling.
As pointed out by Ganguly and Dermott Reeve in the mid innings break, the openers should have shown more intent. Ganguly, who was one of the best players of spin, pointed out that many times it isn’t the number of runs you make against the spinners but the intent that you show that wins you the battle. The Australian openers did not show any intent to attack the spinners. They did not try anything different to score more runs. The experts also said that they could have tried to sweep Price or hit him over mid wicket as he wasn’t spinning the ball away but was just angling it into their bodies. The best example to play spinners early on was set by the Sehwag and Tendulkar the other day against Bangladesh. They did not let the spinners settled at any stage. Even when Shakib Al Hasan introduced the spinner in the early overs, Sachin was quick to charge and hit him over mid wicket. What this does is that it gets the bowler thinking. It makes him contemplate a new plan of attack and in a way unsettles him. Australians can take a leaf out of Ganguly's book and change their approach towards spin in the games to come.
Zimbabwe may not have won the game today but they have really played well. They bowled very well but their batting was disappointing. When you look at their batting line up you will see there is a lot of talent. Taylor, Taibu, Coventry, Chigumbura, Williams and company are all talented players. One of them has to play the sheet anchor role and the other batsmen would have to bat around him. The best man for this job in my opinion is Brendan Taylor. If he can stay in the middle for substantial time and if the other batsmen support him then Zimbabwe can certainly improve on their performance. Taylor looked good today but was cleaned up by a quick Shaun Tait. His role in the batting line-up is crucial. They were up against the best fast bowling attack in the world but given their talent they could have performed a lot better.
Despite losing Zimbabwe have set an example to the minnows and the strong teams. The example that they have set for the minnows is that if they can back themselves, try to use the oppositions weakness and use their own strengths then they can put up a spirited performance. The message they have sent to the strong teams is that opening the bowling with a spinner against Australia isn’t a bad idea. If I was the captain of Sri Lanka, Pakistan or New Zealand I would be considering starting with a spinner. Sri Lanka can start with either Mendis or Muralitharan, Pakistan have Ajmal and New Zealand can use Nathan McCullum. If these bowlers can trouble the openers early on, it would be great for the their respective teams. Something to ponder about for Sangakkara, Afridi and Vettori.
For the next two days we have mismatches with England versus Netherlands today at Nagpur and Pakistan versus Kenya on Wednesday. I think England and Pakistan will sail through their contests but I want to see a much better performance from Kenya. Netherlands have one or two good players and if they can put up a fighting performance, it will do their cause at the minnow participation debate no harm. Expect Ten Doeschate to shine in the England Netherlands game tomorrow. If he does, the Kolkata Knight Riders camp would be really happy.
In my opinion the answer to the last question is a bit of both. While the Zimbabwean bowlers bowled very well, one would expect the Australian batsman to dominate proceedings simply because of their class and ability. Zimbabwe went into the game with just two seam bowlers namely Mpofu and Chigumbura. Mpofu bowled well picking up two wickets but got tapped at the end of the innings. However, when he bowled with the new ball and in the middle overs he was in control. He was mixing it up well, the Yorkers, the slower ones, the off cutters etc. For their games to come Zimbabwe need somebody to support Mpofu. With Ed Rainsford ruled out due to injury, they need a fast bowler to complement Mpofu’s good work. Chigumbura bowled just two overs today and didn't seem to get his line right. They may have opened with the spinners at the other end but when they will be up against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, it would be a good idea to do so. This is simply because the Sri Lankan and Pakistani batsmen are much better players of spin than the Australians. If they open with the spinner it may work against them as these batsmen may take a liking to him and hit him all over the park.
The thing that struck me the most about Mpofu was his fielding. He was very quick and has a very strong arm. His direct hit from the deep that got rid of Ricky Ponting was simply amazing. If Zimbabwe are to impress in this tournament, Mpofu is one of their keys. Overall, the Zimbabwean fielding was very good. They would have easily saved around 20-30 runs.
Mpofu’s new ball partner wasn’t Chigumbura but Raymond Price. I felt it was very good move given the Australian batsmen’s recent discomfort in playing spin. As pointed out by Sourav Ganguly, Price wasn’t getting turn but was merely angling it in to the batsmen. The angle was very good as the batsmen were not able to play him through the off side. Watson and Haddin were satisfied to block and push for the singles. Haddin is a very good player of fast bowling and it looked like Zimbabwe were prepared to bowl spin upfront to restrict the flow of runs from his bat. His innings was very bizarre given the fact that he is required to push the tempo. Watson also didn’t look all that comfortable playing spin initially and it was only later on that he took the initiative and attacked the bowling.
As pointed out by Ganguly and Dermott Reeve in the mid innings break, the openers should have shown more intent. Ganguly, who was one of the best players of spin, pointed out that many times it isn’t the number of runs you make against the spinners but the intent that you show that wins you the battle. The Australian openers did not show any intent to attack the spinners. They did not try anything different to score more runs. The experts also said that they could have tried to sweep Price or hit him over mid wicket as he wasn’t spinning the ball away but was just angling it into their bodies. The best example to play spinners early on was set by the Sehwag and Tendulkar the other day against Bangladesh. They did not let the spinners settled at any stage. Even when Shakib Al Hasan introduced the spinner in the early overs, Sachin was quick to charge and hit him over mid wicket. What this does is that it gets the bowler thinking. It makes him contemplate a new plan of attack and in a way unsettles him. Australians can take a leaf out of Ganguly's book and change their approach towards spin in the games to come.
Zimbabwe may not have won the game today but they have really played well. They bowled very well but their batting was disappointing. When you look at their batting line up you will see there is a lot of talent. Taylor, Taibu, Coventry, Chigumbura, Williams and company are all talented players. One of them has to play the sheet anchor role and the other batsmen would have to bat around him. The best man for this job in my opinion is Brendan Taylor. If he can stay in the middle for substantial time and if the other batsmen support him then Zimbabwe can certainly improve on their performance. Taylor looked good today but was cleaned up by a quick Shaun Tait. His role in the batting line-up is crucial. They were up against the best fast bowling attack in the world but given their talent they could have performed a lot better.
Despite losing Zimbabwe have set an example to the minnows and the strong teams. The example that they have set for the minnows is that if they can back themselves, try to use the oppositions weakness and use their own strengths then they can put up a spirited performance. The message they have sent to the strong teams is that opening the bowling with a spinner against Australia isn’t a bad idea. If I was the captain of Sri Lanka, Pakistan or New Zealand I would be considering starting with a spinner. Sri Lanka can start with either Mendis or Muralitharan, Pakistan have Ajmal and New Zealand can use Nathan McCullum. If these bowlers can trouble the openers early on, it would be great for the their respective teams. Something to ponder about for Sangakkara, Afridi and Vettori.
For the next two days we have mismatches with England versus Netherlands today at Nagpur and Pakistan versus Kenya on Wednesday. I think England and Pakistan will sail through their contests but I want to see a much better performance from Kenya. Netherlands have one or two good players and if they can put up a fighting performance, it will do their cause at the minnow participation debate no harm. Expect Ten Doeschate to shine in the England Netherlands game tomorrow. If he does, the Kolkata Knight Riders camp would be really happy.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
GIVE THEM A CHANCE!!!!
On the second day of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 we witnessed two minnows being completely annihilated by the strong teams. Kenya were bundled out for 69 against New Zealand and Canada lost to Sri Lanka by a margin of over 200 runs. Kenya is a team that has reached a World Cup semi final and seeing their performance not just today but even that in the last World Cup made me ponder as to what went wrong.
The inclusion of minnows in major ICC tournaments has always caused controversy. Since the 1996 World Cup, the minnows have been a regular feature in the signature event. They have come to the biggest stage to become a part of World Cricket and to take their game to the next level. The ICC is of the opinion that participation in the World Cup will help these teams in development and elevation to a new status. However, I do not think it is the right move.
When I say that making the minnows play in the World Cup is not the right move for their development is not the right move, I do not say that these teams should not participate in the big tournament. The ICC has to review its strategy of trying to involve the associate teams with the test playing nations. The ICC is now floating the idea of a 10 nation world cup in 2015 and I somehow think it would do more harm than good.
When Graeme Swann said “I wouldn’t exclude the world from the World Cup” I felt it made a lot of sense. It is one big platform and any opportunity on it is worth its weight in gold. The associate nations surely know the value of these chances and do everything to perform. Some of the players from these associate nations get noticed at the World Cup and it leads to them being picked by county sides or maybe even IPL teams in the future.
The strategy that ICC adopts of playing the associates only in the World Cup is wrong. If you want these teams to develop then you have to make them play more often with the major nations. One or two ODI’s here and there would not help their development. Let us take the example of Kenya and Bangladesh to start with and analyze their fall and rise respectively.
When Kenya burst on to the scene in the year 1996 they looked like a team that had come to enjoy their cricket. Kenya were a team that was the most capable amongst the minnows to produce an upset. The West Indies team of the 1996 World Cup would bear testament to that fact. They played a few tournaments here and there till the 1999 World Cup with some success in a tri nation tournament in India in 1998. They featured in the 1999 World Cup and were beaten in all the games. The story after this World Cup was similar as they continued to play a few tournaments here and there. They managed to beat India in an ODI at Port Elizabeth in 2001 which was one of their biggest success in this time period.
Then came the 2003 World Cup considered the finest hour in Kenyan cricket. They reached the semi finals and beat three test playing nations along the way. Even when they lost games they were competitive most of the times. This was a very encouraging sign and it looked like the Kenyan team was building. They looked to play more matches and were even eying test status. However, things changed and between the 2003 and the 2007 World Cups they played against the major teams in only two tournaments. The first being the Cherry Blossom Cup at Sharjah immediately after the 2003 World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy 2004. They have played most of their matches against the other associates in this period. From 1996 to 2003 they played around 60 to 70 ODI’s mostly against the full members of the ICC and the result was their performance in the 2003 World Cup. Since then they have played almost double that number and almost all of them against the associate members. This is where the fairytale turned to tragedy for Kenya.
When a team has reached a semi final you do not take them very lightly but in fact they are to be taken very seriously. Kenya should have been played to play a lot more against the full members to get more exposure and take their game to the next level. It would have helped them as the youngsters coming into the national side would have got used to international cricket. Right now Kenya’s major problem is that youngsters do not have enough exposure to the big stage and are looking all at sea. The 2003 side was full of players who had played international cricket for quite some time. The core of the 1996 team was still there along with youngsters which provided them a right blend for their success. After 2003, it was almost as if Kenya was isolated from international cricket and called up just once or twice to fill up the numbers. When I look at the Kenyan team today I feel that players like Tikolo, Odoyo, Ongondo, Kamande and the Obuya brothers could have played a lot more quality cricket and made a bigger name for them.
In contrast, there is Bangladesh. Bangladesh made their ODI debut in the 1986 Asia Cup and since then featured in some tournaments in the sub continent till the 1999 World Cup. In the 1999 World Cup, the Bangladesh Team were beaten by all teams except Pakistan. Their stunning victory over Pakistan renewed their hopes of playing ODI cricket regularly. The next year they found themselves amongst the big boys when they played their first test against India. That one victory helped create Bangladesh cricket and today they are the most feared giant killers. They aren’t a top team as I have mentioned in an earlier post but they are no minnows. They can beat any team on a given day if they perform to their ability.
The Bangladesh team evolved in ODI cricket because they were given many chances to play the big boys of international cricket. They have regularly featured in the Asia Cup and have hosted almost all the teams on their home turf. The number of ODI’s played by them against the big teams is a lot more than what Kenya have played in the recent years. This has led to their development and evolution as a team. Today, they can say that they have some real world class players like Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hassan and Abdur Razzak.
When you look at Kenya and Bangladesh you see that it is a classic case of what to do and what not to do. If ICC needs a model as to how a minnow team can be made competitive they have Bangladesh before them. They have the example of Kenya of 2003 as well to show these teams can perform.
Now, ICC has to ensure that what happened with Kenya doesn’t happen with other associate teams. Teams like Ireland and Scotland host one off ODI’s on their home turf in the summers but that is not good enough. These teams need to play more games against the full members to learn the nuances of international cricket. If that is done, then the generations of cricketers to come from these countries will get the right atmosphere to blossom. If ICC wants the game to reach all parts of the World they have to create more teams like Bangladesh. To conclude, I will say, apart from the World Cup these teams should play more ODI games so that one day teams like Canada, Ireland, Kenya etc can compete at the highest level.
The inclusion of minnows in major ICC tournaments has always caused controversy. Since the 1996 World Cup, the minnows have been a regular feature in the signature event. They have come to the biggest stage to become a part of World Cricket and to take their game to the next level. The ICC is of the opinion that participation in the World Cup will help these teams in development and elevation to a new status. However, I do not think it is the right move.
When I say that making the minnows play in the World Cup is not the right move for their development is not the right move, I do not say that these teams should not participate in the big tournament. The ICC has to review its strategy of trying to involve the associate teams with the test playing nations. The ICC is now floating the idea of a 10 nation world cup in 2015 and I somehow think it would do more harm than good.
When Graeme Swann said “I wouldn’t exclude the world from the World Cup” I felt it made a lot of sense. It is one big platform and any opportunity on it is worth its weight in gold. The associate nations surely know the value of these chances and do everything to perform. Some of the players from these associate nations get noticed at the World Cup and it leads to them being picked by county sides or maybe even IPL teams in the future.
The strategy that ICC adopts of playing the associates only in the World Cup is wrong. If you want these teams to develop then you have to make them play more often with the major nations. One or two ODI’s here and there would not help their development. Let us take the example of Kenya and Bangladesh to start with and analyze their fall and rise respectively.
When Kenya burst on to the scene in the year 1996 they looked like a team that had come to enjoy their cricket. Kenya were a team that was the most capable amongst the minnows to produce an upset. The West Indies team of the 1996 World Cup would bear testament to that fact. They played a few tournaments here and there till the 1999 World Cup with some success in a tri nation tournament in India in 1998. They featured in the 1999 World Cup and were beaten in all the games. The story after this World Cup was similar as they continued to play a few tournaments here and there. They managed to beat India in an ODI at Port Elizabeth in 2001 which was one of their biggest success in this time period.
Then came the 2003 World Cup considered the finest hour in Kenyan cricket. They reached the semi finals and beat three test playing nations along the way. Even when they lost games they were competitive most of the times. This was a very encouraging sign and it looked like the Kenyan team was building. They looked to play more matches and were even eying test status. However, things changed and between the 2003 and the 2007 World Cups they played against the major teams in only two tournaments. The first being the Cherry Blossom Cup at Sharjah immediately after the 2003 World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy 2004. They have played most of their matches against the other associates in this period. From 1996 to 2003 they played around 60 to 70 ODI’s mostly against the full members of the ICC and the result was their performance in the 2003 World Cup. Since then they have played almost double that number and almost all of them against the associate members. This is where the fairytale turned to tragedy for Kenya.
When a team has reached a semi final you do not take them very lightly but in fact they are to be taken very seriously. Kenya should have been played to play a lot more against the full members to get more exposure and take their game to the next level. It would have helped them as the youngsters coming into the national side would have got used to international cricket. Right now Kenya’s major problem is that youngsters do not have enough exposure to the big stage and are looking all at sea. The 2003 side was full of players who had played international cricket for quite some time. The core of the 1996 team was still there along with youngsters which provided them a right blend for their success. After 2003, it was almost as if Kenya was isolated from international cricket and called up just once or twice to fill up the numbers. When I look at the Kenyan team today I feel that players like Tikolo, Odoyo, Ongondo, Kamande and the Obuya brothers could have played a lot more quality cricket and made a bigger name for them.
In contrast, there is Bangladesh. Bangladesh made their ODI debut in the 1986 Asia Cup and since then featured in some tournaments in the sub continent till the 1999 World Cup. In the 1999 World Cup, the Bangladesh Team were beaten by all teams except Pakistan. Their stunning victory over Pakistan renewed their hopes of playing ODI cricket regularly. The next year they found themselves amongst the big boys when they played their first test against India. That one victory helped create Bangladesh cricket and today they are the most feared giant killers. They aren’t a top team as I have mentioned in an earlier post but they are no minnows. They can beat any team on a given day if they perform to their ability.
The Bangladesh team evolved in ODI cricket because they were given many chances to play the big boys of international cricket. They have regularly featured in the Asia Cup and have hosted almost all the teams on their home turf. The number of ODI’s played by them against the big teams is a lot more than what Kenya have played in the recent years. This has led to their development and evolution as a team. Today, they can say that they have some real world class players like Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hassan and Abdur Razzak.
When you look at Kenya and Bangladesh you see that it is a classic case of what to do and what not to do. If ICC needs a model as to how a minnow team can be made competitive they have Bangladesh before them. They have the example of Kenya of 2003 as well to show these teams can perform.
Now, ICC has to ensure that what happened with Kenya doesn’t happen with other associate teams. Teams like Ireland and Scotland host one off ODI’s on their home turf in the summers but that is not good enough. These teams need to play more games against the full members to learn the nuances of international cricket. If that is done, then the generations of cricketers to come from these countries will get the right atmosphere to blossom. If ICC wants the game to reach all parts of the World they have to create more teams like Bangladesh. To conclude, I will say, apart from the World Cup these teams should play more ODI games so that one day teams like Canada, Ireland, Kenya etc can compete at the highest level.
Friday, February 18, 2011
THIS IS IT!!!!
With just one day to go, it gets even harder to control ones anticipation and expectations.
With just one day to go everybody is thinking about the ultimate.
With just one day to go, the players are dreaming of being heroes.
With just one day to go, the fans are geared up to support the team that they believe can do it.
With just one day to go, we all wait for the spectacle to begin.
Just one day separates us from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. We have waited for this event for a long time and it is a rule of life that when you get closer to a target the farther away it seems. I do not know how quick these twenty four hours would pass. For me, each hour would be like a day. I am sure the players of all the teams are feeling the same. This is the start of their endeavor to fulfill not only their dreams but the dreams of their nations.
The opening ceremony held yesterday provided a very enthusiastic start to the World Cup. Some of the performances were very breathtaking especially the vertical cricket displayed on the tallest building next to the Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka. To host an opening ceremony at such a historic venue is itself very iconic. There was a fantastic display of culture by all the co-hosts that just showed the hospitality that would greet the players and the fans alike in this part of the World. It was good to see a new way to introduce the captains of the participating nations. The captains being taken to the podium on the cycle rickshaws was simple but beautiful. The official theme song was presented by Shakar-Ehsan-Loy and the evening really lit up when Bryan Adams performed. The opening ceremony was fantastic and let us hope that the quality of cricket in the World Cup is even better.
As I write the England-Pakistan warm up is on. England managed to reach 273 thanks to fifties by Collingwood and Pietersen. This is a very encouraging sign for England as both of them were having an indifferent run in ODI cricket. Pietersen was revealed as the new opening partner for Andrew Strauss in their first warm-up against Canada. In today’s warm up against Pakistan he did well to make 66. I think this is a very positive move by England. Pietersen is a genuine match winner, a positive player who always looks to play his shots. If he is given the chance to bat all the fifty overs, he can really turn it on for England. What this also does is that it adds a hitter to the middle order. Matt Prior who usually opens will now drop down the order and that will make the middle order stronger. Collingwood’s knock will give him confidence as his form is vital to England’s chances. When Collingwood is in full flow he can really attack the bowlers despite his reputation of being the grafter. With Eoin Morgan out he becomes even more crucial in the middle order with Prior, Bell and Bopara (If he plays i.e.).
England had a few injury concerns in their bowling department a week or so ago but they have eased as the rested players are back in action. Their bowling took a beating at the hands of Rizwan Cheema in the warm up against Canada but I don’t think they should be too worried as they are doing pretty decent against Pakistan. The first game was a return for quite a few of their bowlers and it would take them some time to get back into rhythm. This is the main reason I support the warm ups being conducted.
As I have said in my earlier posts that one cannot really predict how the Pakistan team would play on a given day. They are brilliant on one day and ordinary the other. If they can find consistency then they are one of the toughest to beat. In their warm up against Bangladesh they were rescued by Misbah and Shehzad after three quick wickets. The same has happened against England where they have lost three for 40 at the end of the 11th over. They have tried two different opening combinations in both the games. In the first game Hafeez walked out with Shehzad and today it was Kamran Akmal who partnered Hafeez. Shehzad has been very good opening the batting and he will open in the Group stages and further. They probably tried to give Akmal a hit in the middle today and that hasn’t helped much. They do not need to worry about their bowling. Razzaq, Shoaib, Riaz, and Ajmal form a formidable bowling attack. A lot would depend on Shoaib Akhtar. With his pace he can do some real damage to any top order. I also see Afridi playing a vital role with the ball. He can really apply the brakes on the scoring in the middle overs by picking up vital wickets. I think they can go into the World Cup with confidence and back each other to do well.
The first game is between Bangladesh and India at Mirpur. We all know what happened the last time in the West Indies when these two sides met. People are calling it a revenge game for India and why not? India would really want to win tomorrow. Since the last World Cup India have beaten Bangladesh in all the formats. Apart from drawn test match at Chittagong in 2007 all the results have been in India’s favour. However, the World Cup is the World Cup. No matter what you have done before against a team, what you do on a particular day is what matters. The same goes for both the teams. Even if India have beaten Bangladesh everytime since 2007 they still have to go out there and win. Bangladesh too have to forget about the past results, take inspiration from their win in 2007 and perform tomorrow.
The Shere Bangla National Stadium is traditionally a good batting wicket. If you win the toss you have to get 300 plus to be almost assured of victory. I say “almost assured” as the pitch doesn’t change too much in the hundred overs and also the fact that there would be dew at night making it tougher to grip the ball. If you win the toss you should bat first and get a big total. Even though some teams may want to chase on such a pitch one must remember the old theory “Get them on the board in crucial matches and you are always hard to beat.”
India have a few choices to make before the game. Out of Kohli, Yuvraj, and Raina two will play. Dhoni has hinted that Kohli will play and I think he should given his good run of form. Yuvraj will get in mainly because of his experience and the fact that he has been a very useful left arm spinner. Then they have to make the decision regarding the bowling attack. Zaheer would be back and it would be interesting to see who joins him. Munaf, Sreesanth and Nehra will have their fingers crossed as two of them will get to play. In all probability Nehra would play leaving Dhoni to make a choice between Munaf and Sreesanth.
On the other hand Bangladesh have a more or less settled combination. They will play to their strengths i.e. their openers and their left arm spinners. Tamim, Junaid and Kayes form a strong top order and a lot would be expected of them. Shuwo, Hasan, and Razzak will handle the spin department which is very difficult to dominate.
A good game awaits us at Mirpur. Let us see if the Bangladeshi openers can get good starts or the Indian Batsmen can dominate the spinners. All answers tomorrow at 02:00 PM IST.
With just one day to go everybody is thinking about the ultimate.
With just one day to go, the players are dreaming of being heroes.
With just one day to go, the fans are geared up to support the team that they believe can do it.
With just one day to go, we all wait for the spectacle to begin.
Just one day separates us from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. We have waited for this event for a long time and it is a rule of life that when you get closer to a target the farther away it seems. I do not know how quick these twenty four hours would pass. For me, each hour would be like a day. I am sure the players of all the teams are feeling the same. This is the start of their endeavor to fulfill not only their dreams but the dreams of their nations.
The opening ceremony held yesterday provided a very enthusiastic start to the World Cup. Some of the performances were very breathtaking especially the vertical cricket displayed on the tallest building next to the Bangabandhu National Stadium, Dhaka. To host an opening ceremony at such a historic venue is itself very iconic. There was a fantastic display of culture by all the co-hosts that just showed the hospitality that would greet the players and the fans alike in this part of the World. It was good to see a new way to introduce the captains of the participating nations. The captains being taken to the podium on the cycle rickshaws was simple but beautiful. The official theme song was presented by Shakar-Ehsan-Loy and the evening really lit up when Bryan Adams performed. The opening ceremony was fantastic and let us hope that the quality of cricket in the World Cup is even better.
As I write the England-Pakistan warm up is on. England managed to reach 273 thanks to fifties by Collingwood and Pietersen. This is a very encouraging sign for England as both of them were having an indifferent run in ODI cricket. Pietersen was revealed as the new opening partner for Andrew Strauss in their first warm-up against Canada. In today’s warm up against Pakistan he did well to make 66. I think this is a very positive move by England. Pietersen is a genuine match winner, a positive player who always looks to play his shots. If he is given the chance to bat all the fifty overs, he can really turn it on for England. What this also does is that it adds a hitter to the middle order. Matt Prior who usually opens will now drop down the order and that will make the middle order stronger. Collingwood’s knock will give him confidence as his form is vital to England’s chances. When Collingwood is in full flow he can really attack the bowlers despite his reputation of being the grafter. With Eoin Morgan out he becomes even more crucial in the middle order with Prior, Bell and Bopara (If he plays i.e.).
England had a few injury concerns in their bowling department a week or so ago but they have eased as the rested players are back in action. Their bowling took a beating at the hands of Rizwan Cheema in the warm up against Canada but I don’t think they should be too worried as they are doing pretty decent against Pakistan. The first game was a return for quite a few of their bowlers and it would take them some time to get back into rhythm. This is the main reason I support the warm ups being conducted.
As I have said in my earlier posts that one cannot really predict how the Pakistan team would play on a given day. They are brilliant on one day and ordinary the other. If they can find consistency then they are one of the toughest to beat. In their warm up against Bangladesh they were rescued by Misbah and Shehzad after three quick wickets. The same has happened against England where they have lost three for 40 at the end of the 11th over. They have tried two different opening combinations in both the games. In the first game Hafeez walked out with Shehzad and today it was Kamran Akmal who partnered Hafeez. Shehzad has been very good opening the batting and he will open in the Group stages and further. They probably tried to give Akmal a hit in the middle today and that hasn’t helped much. They do not need to worry about their bowling. Razzaq, Shoaib, Riaz, and Ajmal form a formidable bowling attack. A lot would depend on Shoaib Akhtar. With his pace he can do some real damage to any top order. I also see Afridi playing a vital role with the ball. He can really apply the brakes on the scoring in the middle overs by picking up vital wickets. I think they can go into the World Cup with confidence and back each other to do well.
The first game is between Bangladesh and India at Mirpur. We all know what happened the last time in the West Indies when these two sides met. People are calling it a revenge game for India and why not? India would really want to win tomorrow. Since the last World Cup India have beaten Bangladesh in all the formats. Apart from drawn test match at Chittagong in 2007 all the results have been in India’s favour. However, the World Cup is the World Cup. No matter what you have done before against a team, what you do on a particular day is what matters. The same goes for both the teams. Even if India have beaten Bangladesh everytime since 2007 they still have to go out there and win. Bangladesh too have to forget about the past results, take inspiration from their win in 2007 and perform tomorrow.
The Shere Bangla National Stadium is traditionally a good batting wicket. If you win the toss you have to get 300 plus to be almost assured of victory. I say “almost assured” as the pitch doesn’t change too much in the hundred overs and also the fact that there would be dew at night making it tougher to grip the ball. If you win the toss you should bat first and get a big total. Even though some teams may want to chase on such a pitch one must remember the old theory “Get them on the board in crucial matches and you are always hard to beat.”
India have a few choices to make before the game. Out of Kohli, Yuvraj, and Raina two will play. Dhoni has hinted that Kohli will play and I think he should given his good run of form. Yuvraj will get in mainly because of his experience and the fact that he has been a very useful left arm spinner. Then they have to make the decision regarding the bowling attack. Zaheer would be back and it would be interesting to see who joins him. Munaf, Sreesanth and Nehra will have their fingers crossed as two of them will get to play. In all probability Nehra would play leaving Dhoni to make a choice between Munaf and Sreesanth.
On the other hand Bangladesh have a more or less settled combination. They will play to their strengths i.e. their openers and their left arm spinners. Tamim, Junaid and Kayes form a strong top order and a lot would be expected of them. Shuwo, Hasan, and Razzak will handle the spin department which is very difficult to dominate.
A good game awaits us at Mirpur. Let us see if the Bangladeshi openers can get good starts or the Indian Batsmen can dominate the spinners. All answers tomorrow at 02:00 PM IST.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
EVERYBODY WARMED UP
The warm-up matches are nearly over and almost all the teams have given a run to each of their squad members. One warm up game remains though; it is England versus Pakistan at Fatullah to be played on the 18th. All the teams now fly to Dhaka to attend the opening ceremony at the Bangabandhu national stadium as we have a one day break from the on field action.
Today I will have a look at all the team’s warm up performances and analyze the results. I will point out the positives and negatives to emerge plus the players who starred.
AUSTRALIA: The Australians played their two warm up games at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. They played on a pitch that had good bounce and carry for the fast bowlers and massive turn for the spinners. The two losses would not be great for the team confidence but at the same time they do not need to worry too much. They have just arrived from Australia after beating England 6-1 and have been very consistent in the ODI format over the last two years. Two minor blimps are not signals to press the panic button. However, they do have questions before them. Firstly, they haven’t been able to play spin bowling very well. Their batting line-up crumbled against India the other day and against South Africa they weren’t able to get momentum when Peterson, Botha and Tahir were bowling. Secondly, their own spin bowling has to get better. Krejza gets good turn but can drop it short at times and Smith isn’t really preferred for his bowling these days. The positive for them is the return of Ricky Ponting. He has batted well in the two games and got two fifties. This should do his confidence a world of good.
INDIA: If the first warm up against South Africa was won by the bowling, the batting did the trick in the second. There were a few concerns about the Indian batting after the first warm up game but they have been relatively eased after the performance against New Zealand. Against Australia, with the exception of Sehwag and Pathan nobody looked like staying in the middle but all that changed at Chennai when Gambhir, Kohli, Raina and Dhoni all came good. Gambhir and Kohli laid the foundation by ensuring wickets don’t fall in the middle overs and after they went back to the pavilion Dhoni and Raina were at their destructive best. The question now arises regarding who will play, Yuvraj or Raina? Yuvraj did not bat against New Zealand but he has been doing very well as a left arm spinner. We have to wait and watch if this will help him pip Raina for the spot. The spin bowling is doing great, no problems with that. The problem is the seam bowling. Nehra, Sreesanth and Munaf have been expensive and only Sreesanth has looked really effective. Dhoni said that the fast bowlers were going easy in order to avoid niggles but with Zaheer coming back who will he drop from the three mentioned above.
SRI LANKA: The Lankan Lions have looked in great control in the two warm up games. The first game against the Netherlands was a walk in the park for them. All the batsmen got runs and the bowlers were amongst the wickets. Their first major test was against the West Indies where they conceded 281 but Malinga, Murali, Mendis and Herath bowled well and were amongst the wickets. All their batsman got decent starts with Sangakkara, Dilshan and Samaraweera making fifties. This solves one problem for them. They can choose Samaraweera over Silva as the former has got fifties in both games. Dilshan is looking in ominous form and I wouldn’t like to bowl to him when he is in such knick. Strong start for the Lankans, let us see how they will perform in the big matches. I think it will be a huge task to beat them.
SOUTH AFRICA: Like the Lankans South Africa have looked in great control of their two warm up games. Their first assignment was against Zimbabwe which they won by eight wickets. Their second game was against the Aussies in which their bowlers were fantastic. The thing that strikes me is that all their spinners have been very effective in the two warm up games. Botha, Peterson and Tahir have been great as they have picked up wickets and haven’t conceded too many runs. In the final eleven, I think Botha and Peterson would get the nod mainly because of their batting abilities. The batting has been about the top order as they have chased down the two targets easily. Graeme Smith, Duminy and Kallis have looked in good touch plus the runs are continuing to flow from Amla’s bat. He is their key for them in this World Cup. The fast men have been at their brilliant best with Dale Styen leading the way. With batsmen in form, good spinners and a very threatening bowling attack, the Proteas look good to shed the “chokers” tag. Will they?
WEST INDIES: Inconsistency has been associated with the West Indies team for quite a while now. Some batsmen have looked good in one game while the other have done well in the other. The positive thing for them is that Sarwan, Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo go into the tournament with at least one good hit in the middle. If Chanderpaul and Barath can get back form then their batting looks strong. Russell and Roach were good against Kenya but they would have to do the same against the bigger teams. Sri Lanka chased down 282 with relative ease against them which highlights the fact that the men from the Caribbean are struggling with their bowling. Benn was good against Lanka picking up three wickets and I think he should be selected ahead of Miller in the final eleven.
NEW ZEALAND: The Kiwi’s haven’t been in good form for a long time now and that has continued in the warm up games. They amassed the runs against Ireland but could not bowl them out cheaply. In the process Ireland reached 279. Their bowling struggled against India as well where they could not break the partnership in the middle overs and couldn’t prevent the outburst from Dhoni and Raina later on. Their batting has been fairly decent with Guptill, McCullum, Ryder and Franklin getting runs. Styris, Oram and Vettori can contribute with the bat anytime. The only question is, if they are able to set a total will they be able to defend with their bowling. They have some good bowlers but they haven’t been in their best form. Most of their bowlers are attacking wicket takers and if they are able to get some form as the tournament progresses then I see New Zealand surpassing various people’s expectations.
BANGLADESH: Bangladesh walked past Canada in the first of their warm up games but were halted by Pakistan in the second. Bangladesh have a set of very talented cricketers who need to find consistency. Against Canada their bowlers i.e. the spinners and the pacers alike were very effective. With a paltry total they eased home losing just one wicket. Against Pakistan they conceded 285 but some of their bowlers were amongst the wickets. The batsmen were not able to handle the Pakistan bowling and feel way short of the total. I again emphasize the strength of their left arm spinners who have done well in the warm ups. Overall, Bangladesh have to find the consistency and ensure that all their departments perform on a given day.
England and Pakistan are yet to play their final warm up so it would be appropriate to review their performances after the 18th. England got past Canada today. A man called Rizwan Cheema bludgeoned 93 of 60 balls which included five big hits. Didn’t I pick him as a player to watch out for?
I am really looking forward to the opening ceremony. It is great to see all the teams dressed up and standing together holding their flags high. The ceremony will be lit up by performances from Bryan Adams, Shankar-Ehsan-Loy and Sonu Nigam. Lots in store…Can’t wait any longer….
Today I will have a look at all the team’s warm up performances and analyze the results. I will point out the positives and negatives to emerge plus the players who starred.
AUSTRALIA: The Australians played their two warm up games at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore. They played on a pitch that had good bounce and carry for the fast bowlers and massive turn for the spinners. The two losses would not be great for the team confidence but at the same time they do not need to worry too much. They have just arrived from Australia after beating England 6-1 and have been very consistent in the ODI format over the last two years. Two minor blimps are not signals to press the panic button. However, they do have questions before them. Firstly, they haven’t been able to play spin bowling very well. Their batting line-up crumbled against India the other day and against South Africa they weren’t able to get momentum when Peterson, Botha and Tahir were bowling. Secondly, their own spin bowling has to get better. Krejza gets good turn but can drop it short at times and Smith isn’t really preferred for his bowling these days. The positive for them is the return of Ricky Ponting. He has batted well in the two games and got two fifties. This should do his confidence a world of good.
INDIA: If the first warm up against South Africa was won by the bowling, the batting did the trick in the second. There were a few concerns about the Indian batting after the first warm up game but they have been relatively eased after the performance against New Zealand. Against Australia, with the exception of Sehwag and Pathan nobody looked like staying in the middle but all that changed at Chennai when Gambhir, Kohli, Raina and Dhoni all came good. Gambhir and Kohli laid the foundation by ensuring wickets don’t fall in the middle overs and after they went back to the pavilion Dhoni and Raina were at their destructive best. The question now arises regarding who will play, Yuvraj or Raina? Yuvraj did not bat against New Zealand but he has been doing very well as a left arm spinner. We have to wait and watch if this will help him pip Raina for the spot. The spin bowling is doing great, no problems with that. The problem is the seam bowling. Nehra, Sreesanth and Munaf have been expensive and only Sreesanth has looked really effective. Dhoni said that the fast bowlers were going easy in order to avoid niggles but with Zaheer coming back who will he drop from the three mentioned above.
SRI LANKA: The Lankan Lions have looked in great control in the two warm up games. The first game against the Netherlands was a walk in the park for them. All the batsmen got runs and the bowlers were amongst the wickets. Their first major test was against the West Indies where they conceded 281 but Malinga, Murali, Mendis and Herath bowled well and were amongst the wickets. All their batsman got decent starts with Sangakkara, Dilshan and Samaraweera making fifties. This solves one problem for them. They can choose Samaraweera over Silva as the former has got fifties in both games. Dilshan is looking in ominous form and I wouldn’t like to bowl to him when he is in such knick. Strong start for the Lankans, let us see how they will perform in the big matches. I think it will be a huge task to beat them.
SOUTH AFRICA: Like the Lankans South Africa have looked in great control of their two warm up games. Their first assignment was against Zimbabwe which they won by eight wickets. Their second game was against the Aussies in which their bowlers were fantastic. The thing that strikes me is that all their spinners have been very effective in the two warm up games. Botha, Peterson and Tahir have been great as they have picked up wickets and haven’t conceded too many runs. In the final eleven, I think Botha and Peterson would get the nod mainly because of their batting abilities. The batting has been about the top order as they have chased down the two targets easily. Graeme Smith, Duminy and Kallis have looked in good touch plus the runs are continuing to flow from Amla’s bat. He is their key for them in this World Cup. The fast men have been at their brilliant best with Dale Styen leading the way. With batsmen in form, good spinners and a very threatening bowling attack, the Proteas look good to shed the “chokers” tag. Will they?
WEST INDIES: Inconsistency has been associated with the West Indies team for quite a while now. Some batsmen have looked good in one game while the other have done well in the other. The positive thing for them is that Sarwan, Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo go into the tournament with at least one good hit in the middle. If Chanderpaul and Barath can get back form then their batting looks strong. Russell and Roach were good against Kenya but they would have to do the same against the bigger teams. Sri Lanka chased down 282 with relative ease against them which highlights the fact that the men from the Caribbean are struggling with their bowling. Benn was good against Lanka picking up three wickets and I think he should be selected ahead of Miller in the final eleven.
NEW ZEALAND: The Kiwi’s haven’t been in good form for a long time now and that has continued in the warm up games. They amassed the runs against Ireland but could not bowl them out cheaply. In the process Ireland reached 279. Their bowling struggled against India as well where they could not break the partnership in the middle overs and couldn’t prevent the outburst from Dhoni and Raina later on. Their batting has been fairly decent with Guptill, McCullum, Ryder and Franklin getting runs. Styris, Oram and Vettori can contribute with the bat anytime. The only question is, if they are able to set a total will they be able to defend with their bowling. They have some good bowlers but they haven’t been in their best form. Most of their bowlers are attacking wicket takers and if they are able to get some form as the tournament progresses then I see New Zealand surpassing various people’s expectations.
BANGLADESH: Bangladesh walked past Canada in the first of their warm up games but were halted by Pakistan in the second. Bangladesh have a set of very talented cricketers who need to find consistency. Against Canada their bowlers i.e. the spinners and the pacers alike were very effective. With a paltry total they eased home losing just one wicket. Against Pakistan they conceded 285 but some of their bowlers were amongst the wickets. The batsmen were not able to handle the Pakistan bowling and feel way short of the total. I again emphasize the strength of their left arm spinners who have done well in the warm ups. Overall, Bangladesh have to find the consistency and ensure that all their departments perform on a given day.
England and Pakistan are yet to play their final warm up so it would be appropriate to review their performances after the 18th. England got past Canada today. A man called Rizwan Cheema bludgeoned 93 of 60 balls which included five big hits. Didn’t I pick him as a player to watch out for?
I am really looking forward to the opening ceremony. It is great to see all the teams dressed up and standing together holding their flags high. The ceremony will be lit up by performances from Bryan Adams, Shankar-Ehsan-Loy and Sonu Nigam. Lots in store…Can’t wait any longer….
Monday, February 14, 2011
LEADING FROM THE FRONT
I read this quote somewhere “A hundred sheep led by a lion will do better than a hundred lions led by a sheep.” This just highlights the importance of leadership in any field. Cricket is no different. It is one sport where leadership matters a lot. It can make or break a team’s fate. You may have all the best players but you need to be led by somebody with the ability to lead and motivate a side to glory. Many times, good leadership has been responsible for average teams doing very well. This just highlights the importance of captaincy in the game.
I got the idea of writing about leadership while I was watching Imran Khan being interviewed by Alan Wilkins on Star Cricket today. The channel has shown all the World Cup winning captains talking about their sides’ triumphs. All of them are extremely inspirational figures who had to get the best out of their players to win the title. Listening to Imran Khan talk about leadership was something really different. He spoke about the need for captains to lead by example by saying that "When a captain can show that he can do anything it rubs off on the others and has an even more motivating effect than any team talk." According to him if a captain just tells his team that they can win etc but doesn’t actually believe it or doesn’t show it in his body language then it doesn’t motivate anybody.
If you take look at all the captains that have won the World Cup you will see that all of them led by example. They put in at least one performance in the World Cup when the team needed it the most. However, I am not going to write about Clive Llyod’s West Indians and Ricky Ponting’s Australians who won the cup twice each as they were simply exceptional sides led by fantastic captains. These teams went into the World Cup as favorites and left it with the trophy but in the other five tournaments, the teams that weren’t favorites or weren’t expected to win emerged victorious.
1983 was when Kapil Dev’s Indian Team ranked 66 to 1 outsiders prior to the tournament went on to cause the biggest upset in a major tournament final. Kapil was the kind of a cricketer who could do anything. He is by far the best bowler India has ever produced. He said that his batting was always a bonus as he always considered himself a bowler. However, his batting was the one that instilled the belief in the team. His 175 not out showed the team that they could bounce back from any situation. When India got bowled out for 183 in the final, a commentator said “West Indies is showing India that inspiration is not enough to win the title.” Kapil had more to show in the final by taking the stunning catch to dismiss Richards and that is when the match turned. This just highlights Imran Khan’s point that a leader has to lead by example and should show it to the team that he can do anything.
We see this not only in 1983 but also in 1999 when Steve Waugh helped his team fight all odds to win the trophy. They were in danger of going home in the first round but came back to beat the West Indies to qualify. They were playing against South Africa in the last super six game and were looking down the barrel when Tugga came to the party. He stroked a magnificent 120 odd to seal the deal. This innings was against the best bowling attack going around at that time. Who can forget this game for “mate you just dropped the World Cup?” Still disputed whether he said it or not but as Steve Waugh said “Let us leave it at that, it sounds good.” This innings overshadowed his knock in the semi finals against the same opposition. According to me this one should be ranked somewhere along the previous one as it came in a semi final and when his team were tottering while setting a target. We all know what happened then.
Another thing Imran Khan spoke about in that interview was backing the players and believing in their ability to perform at anytime. He himself did that in 1992 when he backed youngsters like Inzamam and Amir Sohail to perform. They answered his call at the right stages of the tournament. Amir helped the side get back momentum with a crucial hundred against the Aussies and Inzamam played that brilliant knock against New Zealand in the semi finals. Inzamam was actually unwell a day before the game but Imran made it clear to him that he would play no matter what. The next day Inzamam went on to stoke a magnificent fifty to win the game for Pakistan from nowhere.
Arjuna Ranatunga was another captain who really backed his players in any situation. Everyone remembers him threatening to walk out when the umpire was continuously no-balling Murali for chucking. He also made some very important decisions as a captain going into the 1996 World Cup. He made Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana open despite the fact that both of them had never opened before. As a leader he gave them the freedom to express themselves and assured them that they wouldn't be dropped if they failed. This not only led to their success in the tournament but it also revolutionized the concept of batting in the one day game. All the teams started exploiting the fielding restrictions only after this World Cup. I sometimes think had Ranatunga not thought of this, would we have powerplays today?
Craig McDermott said recently that the champion team of 1987 was dubbed as the worst team to come from Australia. How did they change that? They had a leader called Alan Border, who apart from being a great cricketer was a fantastic leader. He backed all his team mates and told them to play to their strengths. Under his leadership players like Boon, Marsh, Valletta etc. flourished. This was a major factor in their lifting the trophy. Not only did Alan Border bat but he also bowled to good effect. Mike Gatting was going strong in the final and looked like taking the game away from Australia but Border brought himself on and induced Gatting to play that fatal reverse sweep.
There are many other factors from the leaders’ side that helps their teams lift the trophy and I have made a small attempt at covering a few. Whenever I listen to these captains I feel inspired because not only did they get the trophy but got happiness to their respective nations. Being a captain of a sports team is one of the toughest job in the World as the fans can get hostile at times. The captains who are able to go above the fear of failure and are able to instill the same values in their players are the ones who are successful. Cricket is a team game but individual performances matter more than any other sport and this is what makes the captain’s role even more significant. Some captains who led their teams into the finals but were not able to win does not say that they didn’t lead well. Some great captains have lost World Cup finals like Mark Taylor, Graham Gooch, Clove Llyod and Sourav Ganguly but they had led their sides exceptionally well to the final. In final it takes that extra bit that differentiates the winners from the runners up.
All the captains in this World Cup have their task cut out. They need to inspire and perform to lead their sides to glory. With just five days remaining, this is all they must be thinking. May the best team with the best leader win.
I got the idea of writing about leadership while I was watching Imran Khan being interviewed by Alan Wilkins on Star Cricket today. The channel has shown all the World Cup winning captains talking about their sides’ triumphs. All of them are extremely inspirational figures who had to get the best out of their players to win the title. Listening to Imran Khan talk about leadership was something really different. He spoke about the need for captains to lead by example by saying that "When a captain can show that he can do anything it rubs off on the others and has an even more motivating effect than any team talk." According to him if a captain just tells his team that they can win etc but doesn’t actually believe it or doesn’t show it in his body language then it doesn’t motivate anybody.
If you take look at all the captains that have won the World Cup you will see that all of them led by example. They put in at least one performance in the World Cup when the team needed it the most. However, I am not going to write about Clive Llyod’s West Indians and Ricky Ponting’s Australians who won the cup twice each as they were simply exceptional sides led by fantastic captains. These teams went into the World Cup as favorites and left it with the trophy but in the other five tournaments, the teams that weren’t favorites or weren’t expected to win emerged victorious.
1983 was when Kapil Dev’s Indian Team ranked 66 to 1 outsiders prior to the tournament went on to cause the biggest upset in a major tournament final. Kapil was the kind of a cricketer who could do anything. He is by far the best bowler India has ever produced. He said that his batting was always a bonus as he always considered himself a bowler. However, his batting was the one that instilled the belief in the team. His 175 not out showed the team that they could bounce back from any situation. When India got bowled out for 183 in the final, a commentator said “West Indies is showing India that inspiration is not enough to win the title.” Kapil had more to show in the final by taking the stunning catch to dismiss Richards and that is when the match turned. This just highlights Imran Khan’s point that a leader has to lead by example and should show it to the team that he can do anything.
We see this not only in 1983 but also in 1999 when Steve Waugh helped his team fight all odds to win the trophy. They were in danger of going home in the first round but came back to beat the West Indies to qualify. They were playing against South Africa in the last super six game and were looking down the barrel when Tugga came to the party. He stroked a magnificent 120 odd to seal the deal. This innings was against the best bowling attack going around at that time. Who can forget this game for “mate you just dropped the World Cup?” Still disputed whether he said it or not but as Steve Waugh said “Let us leave it at that, it sounds good.” This innings overshadowed his knock in the semi finals against the same opposition. According to me this one should be ranked somewhere along the previous one as it came in a semi final and when his team were tottering while setting a target. We all know what happened then.
Another thing Imran Khan spoke about in that interview was backing the players and believing in their ability to perform at anytime. He himself did that in 1992 when he backed youngsters like Inzamam and Amir Sohail to perform. They answered his call at the right stages of the tournament. Amir helped the side get back momentum with a crucial hundred against the Aussies and Inzamam played that brilliant knock against New Zealand in the semi finals. Inzamam was actually unwell a day before the game but Imran made it clear to him that he would play no matter what. The next day Inzamam went on to stoke a magnificent fifty to win the game for Pakistan from nowhere.
Arjuna Ranatunga was another captain who really backed his players in any situation. Everyone remembers him threatening to walk out when the umpire was continuously no-balling Murali for chucking. He also made some very important decisions as a captain going into the 1996 World Cup. He made Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana open despite the fact that both of them had never opened before. As a leader he gave them the freedom to express themselves and assured them that they wouldn't be dropped if they failed. This not only led to their success in the tournament but it also revolutionized the concept of batting in the one day game. All the teams started exploiting the fielding restrictions only after this World Cup. I sometimes think had Ranatunga not thought of this, would we have powerplays today?
Craig McDermott said recently that the champion team of 1987 was dubbed as the worst team to come from Australia. How did they change that? They had a leader called Alan Border, who apart from being a great cricketer was a fantastic leader. He backed all his team mates and told them to play to their strengths. Under his leadership players like Boon, Marsh, Valletta etc. flourished. This was a major factor in their lifting the trophy. Not only did Alan Border bat but he also bowled to good effect. Mike Gatting was going strong in the final and looked like taking the game away from Australia but Border brought himself on and induced Gatting to play that fatal reverse sweep.
There are many other factors from the leaders’ side that helps their teams lift the trophy and I have made a small attempt at covering a few. Whenever I listen to these captains I feel inspired because not only did they get the trophy but got happiness to their respective nations. Being a captain of a sports team is one of the toughest job in the World as the fans can get hostile at times. The captains who are able to go above the fear of failure and are able to instill the same values in their players are the ones who are successful. Cricket is a team game but individual performances matter more than any other sport and this is what makes the captain’s role even more significant. Some captains who led their teams into the finals but were not able to win does not say that they didn’t lead well. Some great captains have lost World Cup finals like Mark Taylor, Graham Gooch, Clove Llyod and Sourav Ganguly but they had led their sides exceptionally well to the final. In final it takes that extra bit that differentiates the winners from the runners up.
All the captains in this World Cup have their task cut out. They need to inspire and perform to lead their sides to glory. With just five days remaining, this is all they must be thinking. May the best team with the best leader win.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
WARMING UP
When a stadium is almost full capacity one may think that the game being played is a serious one. The Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore was an exception today as a near capacity crowd watched a thrilling warm up game between India and Australia. A warm up game being a thriller is a rarity and the crowd at the stadium got its money’s worth.
The ICC came up with the idea of holding warm up matches prior to the 2007 World Cup. I really support this idea as it helps the teams acclimatize to the conditions and find the right combination. However, it must be noted that the warm up matches are not a sign of things to come. The last time India had won their warm-ups convincingly and we know what happened then. Australia had scrapped through Zimbabwe in a warm up but went on to win the cup. Another interesting fact is that when India did not play any warm up matches prior to the ICC World T20 2007 as they were in England. What I am saying is that it is good to play warm up matches but at the same time the results should not mislead you. Even if you win you should continue to look at areas that require attention and if you lose you shouldn’t panic and go back to the drawing board immediately.
The warm up game between India and Australia today was the best warm up game I have ever seen. The pitch was one of a kind as it had good bounce, carry and assistance for the seamers but at the same time it had great turn for the spinners. In this post I will analyze the performances of both the teams. I will list the positives and the negatives that emerged from this game for both the teams.
AUSTRALIA
When the defending champions were bowling they looked like a unit that was settled and had a hold of the proceedings. They looked in control even when they were chasing but the middle order looked like they had no clue against the spin.
The pace attack is a huge asset to the Aussies. Lee, Johnson, Bollinger and Hastings looked in good rhythm and were finding the right lines and lengths. Johnson sprayed the ball a bit but his overall figures were good and he was able to pick up the key wicket of Yuvraj Singh. Some of the rising deliveries that he bowled were simply too good but the one that got Yuvraj was exceptional. That is just the kind of a delivery you want to bowl. It had the batsman in two or three mind as Sunil Gavaskar said on commentary. It looked like Yuvraj first wanted to pull it, then leave it and finally nudge it over the slips but ended up edging it to Paine. Lee was brilliant in his second spell. He picked up all his three wickets in that relatively long spell of five overs. His pace was too good for Harbhajan and Chawla. Lee was able to invite a tentative drive from Suresh Raina and that according to me was well thought out by him. Hastings was good with his variety as he was able to mix the slower ones with the normal deliveries very well. He bowls this very good slower bouncer that can deceive any batsman. Bollinger was very good early on and he maintained his line and length throughout. The interesting part was that Australia did not call Tait to bowl. Maybe they are giving him a breather before the important matches start.
Coming to the spin bowling, this is one department Australia have struggled since the retirement of Shane Warne and Brad Hogg. Jason Krejza never would have imagined that he would play this World Cup and he has to get used to this fact as soon as possible. He was good in patches and was able to get good turn. However, he was struggling with his length. As in the final ODI against England, he was too short allowing a batsman like Sehwag the time to go back and cut. He bounced back to get Sehwag’s wicket but he has to improve well in time before the start of the grand event. Thus, like today Australia will look to David Hussey to bowl. His off spinners would be useful in these conditions.
214 on the board looked very easy considering the names in the Australian line-up. Shane Watson continued from where he left off from Australia and I think he will be the key to Australia’s performance in this tournament. He may have to contribute with the ball as well. I was surprised when Tim Paine walked out to partner Watson. I do not know why Haddin wasn’t sent who in all probability will open the batting for them. Paine was doing well against the spinners and his wicket sparked the collapse. Ponting looked in good touch but was tested by the spinners. A moment of indiscretion caused his downfall as he was stumped off Harbhajan. This is where Australia will suffer. Apart from Michael Clarke, no other batsman is very experienced in playing spin in India. The middle order had no clue against the spinners and that is a cause for worry but there is no need to panic as all pitches of the World Cup aren’t going to be like this one. I just got the feeling though that they will miss Michael Hussey. They need somebody very dependable to hold the batting in the middle order. Ferguson and Hussey are both capable of playing that role but at the end of the day Michael Hussey is Michael Hussey.
To sum up, I think one of the main reasons they lost the game were the two dropped catches of Yusuf Pathan. He was able to add the extra runs and his contribution along with that of Ashwin and Nehra was the difference between the two teams. These things happen at times and there is no real reason to panic for the Aussies. They just have to get their middle order right.
INDIA
When you win you generally overlook some areas that you need to work on. Luckily for India, they have a shrewd captain who will look into all the areas that require attention.
The top order did not look comfortable against the pace attack. Gambhir got a good one but the others could have shown better application. The biggest worry is Suresh Raina. He continues to poke tentatively outside the off stump and that just shows that he has failed to learn from his mistakes. I would prefer to pick Yusuf Pathan instead of him as he is in good touch and has shown application. Pathan doesn’t possess a good technique like Raina but like in South Africa he showed good application even today. This line-up will settle when Sachin Tendulkar comes back. He will open the batting with Sehwag and Gambhir will have to come at number three. Virender Sehwag’s innings was a surprise. Never have I seen him bat like this. He said that he wanted to bat through the innings and today he looked really determined to do it.
The spin bowling was very good. The performance speaks for itself. The seam bowling is a bit of a concern. Nehra and Munaf did not look good today. Munaf the fielder did well not the bowler. Dhoni said that they wanted to avoid a few niggles which is why they went easy on fast bowling. Sreesanth was bowling with vigor and he might just replace Nehra in the final eleven.
Just a few concerns for India. The match-winning performance for me came from MS Dhoni. He was exceptional with his three stumpings and that is what won the game for India.
The ICC came up with the idea of holding warm up matches prior to the 2007 World Cup. I really support this idea as it helps the teams acclimatize to the conditions and find the right combination. However, it must be noted that the warm up matches are not a sign of things to come. The last time India had won their warm-ups convincingly and we know what happened then. Australia had scrapped through Zimbabwe in a warm up but went on to win the cup. Another interesting fact is that when India did not play any warm up matches prior to the ICC World T20 2007 as they were in England. What I am saying is that it is good to play warm up matches but at the same time the results should not mislead you. Even if you win you should continue to look at areas that require attention and if you lose you shouldn’t panic and go back to the drawing board immediately.
The warm up game between India and Australia today was the best warm up game I have ever seen. The pitch was one of a kind as it had good bounce, carry and assistance for the seamers but at the same time it had great turn for the spinners. In this post I will analyze the performances of both the teams. I will list the positives and the negatives that emerged from this game for both the teams.
AUSTRALIA
When the defending champions were bowling they looked like a unit that was settled and had a hold of the proceedings. They looked in control even when they were chasing but the middle order looked like they had no clue against the spin.
The pace attack is a huge asset to the Aussies. Lee, Johnson, Bollinger and Hastings looked in good rhythm and were finding the right lines and lengths. Johnson sprayed the ball a bit but his overall figures were good and he was able to pick up the key wicket of Yuvraj Singh. Some of the rising deliveries that he bowled were simply too good but the one that got Yuvraj was exceptional. That is just the kind of a delivery you want to bowl. It had the batsman in two or three mind as Sunil Gavaskar said on commentary. It looked like Yuvraj first wanted to pull it, then leave it and finally nudge it over the slips but ended up edging it to Paine. Lee was brilliant in his second spell. He picked up all his three wickets in that relatively long spell of five overs. His pace was too good for Harbhajan and Chawla. Lee was able to invite a tentative drive from Suresh Raina and that according to me was well thought out by him. Hastings was good with his variety as he was able to mix the slower ones with the normal deliveries very well. He bowls this very good slower bouncer that can deceive any batsman. Bollinger was very good early on and he maintained his line and length throughout. The interesting part was that Australia did not call Tait to bowl. Maybe they are giving him a breather before the important matches start.
Coming to the spin bowling, this is one department Australia have struggled since the retirement of Shane Warne and Brad Hogg. Jason Krejza never would have imagined that he would play this World Cup and he has to get used to this fact as soon as possible. He was good in patches and was able to get good turn. However, he was struggling with his length. As in the final ODI against England, he was too short allowing a batsman like Sehwag the time to go back and cut. He bounced back to get Sehwag’s wicket but he has to improve well in time before the start of the grand event. Thus, like today Australia will look to David Hussey to bowl. His off spinners would be useful in these conditions.
214 on the board looked very easy considering the names in the Australian line-up. Shane Watson continued from where he left off from Australia and I think he will be the key to Australia’s performance in this tournament. He may have to contribute with the ball as well. I was surprised when Tim Paine walked out to partner Watson. I do not know why Haddin wasn’t sent who in all probability will open the batting for them. Paine was doing well against the spinners and his wicket sparked the collapse. Ponting looked in good touch but was tested by the spinners. A moment of indiscretion caused his downfall as he was stumped off Harbhajan. This is where Australia will suffer. Apart from Michael Clarke, no other batsman is very experienced in playing spin in India. The middle order had no clue against the spinners and that is a cause for worry but there is no need to panic as all pitches of the World Cup aren’t going to be like this one. I just got the feeling though that they will miss Michael Hussey. They need somebody very dependable to hold the batting in the middle order. Ferguson and Hussey are both capable of playing that role but at the end of the day Michael Hussey is Michael Hussey.
To sum up, I think one of the main reasons they lost the game were the two dropped catches of Yusuf Pathan. He was able to add the extra runs and his contribution along with that of Ashwin and Nehra was the difference between the two teams. These things happen at times and there is no real reason to panic for the Aussies. They just have to get their middle order right.
INDIA
When you win you generally overlook some areas that you need to work on. Luckily for India, they have a shrewd captain who will look into all the areas that require attention.
The top order did not look comfortable against the pace attack. Gambhir got a good one but the others could have shown better application. The biggest worry is Suresh Raina. He continues to poke tentatively outside the off stump and that just shows that he has failed to learn from his mistakes. I would prefer to pick Yusuf Pathan instead of him as he is in good touch and has shown application. Pathan doesn’t possess a good technique like Raina but like in South Africa he showed good application even today. This line-up will settle when Sachin Tendulkar comes back. He will open the batting with Sehwag and Gambhir will have to come at number three. Virender Sehwag’s innings was a surprise. Never have I seen him bat like this. He said that he wanted to bat through the innings and today he looked really determined to do it.
The spin bowling was very good. The performance speaks for itself. The seam bowling is a bit of a concern. Nehra and Munaf did not look good today. Munaf the fielder did well not the bowler. Dhoni said that they wanted to avoid a few niggles which is why they went easy on fast bowling. Sreesanth was bowling with vigor and he might just replace Nehra in the final eleven.
Just a few concerns for India. The match-winning performance for me came from MS Dhoni. He was exceptional with his three stumpings and that is what won the game for India.
INDIA'S BEST
It is always nice to go down memory lane and revisit the performances by our players that made us champions on the given day. The build up on television is full of the former players picking their best performances and talking about their own experiences at the World Cup. It feels really great to relive the moments that made a nation proud.
In the build up to the World Cup, I decided to pick my own top Indian performances at the World Cup. We all were thrilled by these performances that led us to believe that we can win against any opposition on a given day.
1. Kapil Dev’s 175 versus Zimbabwe, Tunbridge Wells, England, 1983: When you walk in at 17 for 5 what do you do? According to Kapil Dev you play out a few overs and then blast your way to a big hundred. Zimbabwe were playing their first World Cup and had already stunned the Aussies and were looking good humble India but the man from Chandigarh had other ideas. He stitched together a vital partnership with Syed Kirmani which was the main reason he could rescue the team. Sunil Gavaskar said “One he got past a hundred he just went berserk.” In a recent interview Kapil Dev said “When I walked in at 17 for 5 I did not feel the pressure but I told myself the lord has made this day for you.” That is how great players think. No matter what the situation, they believe in themselves, back themselves to bring out their best. 175 from 138 balls at a strike rate of 126.81 in the year 1983, which is something isn’t it. The only blemish in the entire scenario is that the BBC was on strike so there is no footage of this great innings. What has the world missed?
2. Mohinder Amarnath’s all round show versus West Indies, 1983 World Cup final: When India lost Sunil Gavaskar early, Srikkanth and Mohinder Amarnath had to face a great fast bowling attack with its tail up. At one end, Kris Srikkanth did not care about reputation but just went after the bowling but at the other end Mohinder Amarnath was resolute. Once he got out with the score at 90, the batting just collapsed to set a target of 183. 183 on the board against a batting line up comprising Richards, Llyod, Greenidge, Haynes, Dujon looked a mere formality. With the top order back in the pavilion someone had to wipe out the tail and Jimmy did just that taking three wickets. No Indian fan will ever forget the moment he got Holding LBW that won India the World Cup.
3. Kapil’s running catch to dismiss Richards, 1983 World Cup final: A moment of brilliance that changed the course of Indian cricket. When Viv Richards came out to bat he looked in such a hurry. It looked like he wanted to go for an early dinner. With the score at 57 for 2 and his personal score at 33 of 27 balls he pulled Madan Lal over square leg. Everybody expected the ball to go to the boundary but Kapil Dev ran, covered a lot of ground and took the catch just above his shoulders. The commentators said “Ohh a great shot..But he is caught…brilliant by Kapil Dev.” Such was the catch that people at Lords also did not expect that it be taken. There were only two people who thought it would be taken, one is Kapil Dev himself and the other Viv Richards. In the background you can see Viv taking off his gloves as Kapil was running to take the catch. That catch not just dismissed one of the greats of the game but altered the history of Indian Cricket.
4. Yashpal Sharma’s 89 vs West Indies, Group Stage, 1983 World Cup: When I told my father that I was going to pick the top Indian performances at the World Cup he said don’t forget Yashpal Sharma’s knock against West Indies in 1983. My father is of the opinion that a lot of people tend to forget this knock and that it actually set the tone for India at that World Cup. I agree with him completely as I came to know about this knock only when I spoke to him today. When I saw the scorecard of this match, I realized that importance of this knock. When you could beat West Indies then, one believed that you could beat anybody and that is what this knock did. It gave India belief and inspiration as they beat the Caribbean Kings.
5. Indian batting versus England, 1983 World Cup semi final: The semi finals are considered the hardest to win and India were up against a strong England side at Manchester. The bowlers restricted England to 214 and it was left to the batsmen to win it from there. Gavaskar fell early but Mohinder Amarnath, Yashpal Sharma (61 of 115 balls) and Sandeep Patil were focused on victory. Amarnath (46 runs of 92 balls) and Sharma steadied the innings and when the former got out, Sandeep Patil walked in. Patil played a T20 style knock in that match scoring 51 of 32 balls. The ranked outsiders were through to the finals.
6. Sachin Tendulkar’s 98 versus Pakistan, 2003 World Cup: A knock that the current generation would not forget and one that we won’t let anybody forget. In the second over of the game, three shots from the great man changed the psychological balance between the two sides. The upper cut, the flick behind square leg and the defensive push through mid on are still etched in memory. He really took the attack to the Pakistan attack which comprised of Akram, Waqar and Shoaib. Some of the shots he played left us breathless. I still remember Robin Jackman;s comments when Sachin hit Wasim through mid off of the back foot “OHH Ohh Ohh my goodness me.” When Waqar was hit through the covers, Jackman said “Ohh..How can a man who is five foot five hit it through there.” 270 was chased easily with the support of Kaif(35), Dravid(44) and Yuvraj(50).
7. Ashish Nehra’s 6 for 23 versus England at Durban, 2003 World Cup: Whoever won this game was assured of a place in the super sixes and both sides were pressing for it. Tendulkar gave India great start but they managed only 250. Ashish Nehra nearly did not play that game but he worked hard to regain fitness and was given the go. He came and extracted fantastic movement from the Durban wicket. Five of his six wickets were caught behind. All the six were frontline batsmen Hussain, Vaughan, Stewart, Collingwood, Irani and White. India were through.
8. Venkatesh Prasad’s five wicket haul against Pakistan, 1999 World Cup: This World Cup was a stop start affair for the Indians but when it comes to playing Pakistan nothing else matters. India set 220 odd on the board against an in form Pakistan. Prasad demolished them with a fiver leaving them with no chance of getting to the target.
9. Ajay Jadeja’s 45 of 25 balls versus Pakistan, 1996 World Cup: An India-Pakistan knockout game is always special. After Sidhu’s 93 laid down the platform for India Ajay Jadeja blitzkrieg at the end really turned the game in India’s favour. He was particularly sever on Waqar and waited for his inswinging Yorkers. One such Yorker was hit to mid wicket for maximum. Nobody would have been so severe on Waqar ever. No matter what happened later on, Jadeja’s name will be remembered for this knock.
10. Chetan Sharma’s Hat-trick versus New Zealand, 1987 World Cup: His hat trick reduced New Zealand to 221, a score that was easily chased. A hat trick is always special but when it comes in the World Cup it is even more so.
11. Sourav Ganguly’s 183 versus Sri Lanka at Taunton, 1999 World Cup: Both teams were going into the game with their stay in the tournament at stake. Ganguly’s partner Ramesh fell in the first over. In came Rahul Dravid whose 145 supported Ganguly in a partnership of 318. The Prince of Kolkata hit the spinners with ease all over the ground. It sealed Sri Lanka’s fate and gave India hope to progress to the super sixes.
12. Srinath, Zaheer and Nehra’s mauling of Sri Lanka at Johannesburg, 2003 World Cup: This is one of India’s best seam bowling performance in One Day Cricket. With 290 on the board India were looking for early breakthroughs. Srinath provided four of them, Zaheer chipped in with two and Nehra cleaned up the tail with four. They were bowled out under 20 overs which goes to show what the bowling would have been.
13. Rahul Dravid’s 145 versus Sri Lanka at Taunton, 1999 World Cup: Ganguly’s display overshadowed this great knock from “The Wall.” He took the singles, hit the boundaries and did not let the spinners settle. This knock was also worth its weight in gold.
14. Navjyot Singh Sidhu's sixes in the 1987 World Cup: When Sidhu made his debut in 1983 and was dropped soon after, he was described by a writer as a "strokeless wonder." He returned four years later in the 1987 World Cup and was hitting the ball out of the ground consistently. Spinners had no respite when he batted. That was the man's answer to the people who doubted his talent. India found a batsman who was to serve them well for another 12 years.
In the build up to the World Cup, I decided to pick my own top Indian performances at the World Cup. We all were thrilled by these performances that led us to believe that we can win against any opposition on a given day.
1. Kapil Dev’s 175 versus Zimbabwe, Tunbridge Wells, England, 1983: When you walk in at 17 for 5 what do you do? According to Kapil Dev you play out a few overs and then blast your way to a big hundred. Zimbabwe were playing their first World Cup and had already stunned the Aussies and were looking good humble India but the man from Chandigarh had other ideas. He stitched together a vital partnership with Syed Kirmani which was the main reason he could rescue the team. Sunil Gavaskar said “One he got past a hundred he just went berserk.” In a recent interview Kapil Dev said “When I walked in at 17 for 5 I did not feel the pressure but I told myself the lord has made this day for you.” That is how great players think. No matter what the situation, they believe in themselves, back themselves to bring out their best. 175 from 138 balls at a strike rate of 126.81 in the year 1983, which is something isn’t it. The only blemish in the entire scenario is that the BBC was on strike so there is no footage of this great innings. What has the world missed?
2. Mohinder Amarnath’s all round show versus West Indies, 1983 World Cup final: When India lost Sunil Gavaskar early, Srikkanth and Mohinder Amarnath had to face a great fast bowling attack with its tail up. At one end, Kris Srikkanth did not care about reputation but just went after the bowling but at the other end Mohinder Amarnath was resolute. Once he got out with the score at 90, the batting just collapsed to set a target of 183. 183 on the board against a batting line up comprising Richards, Llyod, Greenidge, Haynes, Dujon looked a mere formality. With the top order back in the pavilion someone had to wipe out the tail and Jimmy did just that taking three wickets. No Indian fan will ever forget the moment he got Holding LBW that won India the World Cup.
3. Kapil’s running catch to dismiss Richards, 1983 World Cup final: A moment of brilliance that changed the course of Indian cricket. When Viv Richards came out to bat he looked in such a hurry. It looked like he wanted to go for an early dinner. With the score at 57 for 2 and his personal score at 33 of 27 balls he pulled Madan Lal over square leg. Everybody expected the ball to go to the boundary but Kapil Dev ran, covered a lot of ground and took the catch just above his shoulders. The commentators said “Ohh a great shot..But he is caught…brilliant by Kapil Dev.” Such was the catch that people at Lords also did not expect that it be taken. There were only two people who thought it would be taken, one is Kapil Dev himself and the other Viv Richards. In the background you can see Viv taking off his gloves as Kapil was running to take the catch. That catch not just dismissed one of the greats of the game but altered the history of Indian Cricket.
4. Yashpal Sharma’s 89 vs West Indies, Group Stage, 1983 World Cup: When I told my father that I was going to pick the top Indian performances at the World Cup he said don’t forget Yashpal Sharma’s knock against West Indies in 1983. My father is of the opinion that a lot of people tend to forget this knock and that it actually set the tone for India at that World Cup. I agree with him completely as I came to know about this knock only when I spoke to him today. When I saw the scorecard of this match, I realized that importance of this knock. When you could beat West Indies then, one believed that you could beat anybody and that is what this knock did. It gave India belief and inspiration as they beat the Caribbean Kings.
5. Indian batting versus England, 1983 World Cup semi final: The semi finals are considered the hardest to win and India were up against a strong England side at Manchester. The bowlers restricted England to 214 and it was left to the batsmen to win it from there. Gavaskar fell early but Mohinder Amarnath, Yashpal Sharma (61 of 115 balls) and Sandeep Patil were focused on victory. Amarnath (46 runs of 92 balls) and Sharma steadied the innings and when the former got out, Sandeep Patil walked in. Patil played a T20 style knock in that match scoring 51 of 32 balls. The ranked outsiders were through to the finals.
6. Sachin Tendulkar’s 98 versus Pakistan, 2003 World Cup: A knock that the current generation would not forget and one that we won’t let anybody forget. In the second over of the game, three shots from the great man changed the psychological balance between the two sides. The upper cut, the flick behind square leg and the defensive push through mid on are still etched in memory. He really took the attack to the Pakistan attack which comprised of Akram, Waqar and Shoaib. Some of the shots he played left us breathless. I still remember Robin Jackman;s comments when Sachin hit Wasim through mid off of the back foot “OHH Ohh Ohh my goodness me.” When Waqar was hit through the covers, Jackman said “Ohh..How can a man who is five foot five hit it through there.” 270 was chased easily with the support of Kaif(35), Dravid(44) and Yuvraj(50).
7. Ashish Nehra’s 6 for 23 versus England at Durban, 2003 World Cup: Whoever won this game was assured of a place in the super sixes and both sides were pressing for it. Tendulkar gave India great start but they managed only 250. Ashish Nehra nearly did not play that game but he worked hard to regain fitness and was given the go. He came and extracted fantastic movement from the Durban wicket. Five of his six wickets were caught behind. All the six were frontline batsmen Hussain, Vaughan, Stewart, Collingwood, Irani and White. India were through.
8. Venkatesh Prasad’s five wicket haul against Pakistan, 1999 World Cup: This World Cup was a stop start affair for the Indians but when it comes to playing Pakistan nothing else matters. India set 220 odd on the board against an in form Pakistan. Prasad demolished them with a fiver leaving them with no chance of getting to the target.
9. Ajay Jadeja’s 45 of 25 balls versus Pakistan, 1996 World Cup: An India-Pakistan knockout game is always special. After Sidhu’s 93 laid down the platform for India Ajay Jadeja blitzkrieg at the end really turned the game in India’s favour. He was particularly sever on Waqar and waited for his inswinging Yorkers. One such Yorker was hit to mid wicket for maximum. Nobody would have been so severe on Waqar ever. No matter what happened later on, Jadeja’s name will be remembered for this knock.
10. Chetan Sharma’s Hat-trick versus New Zealand, 1987 World Cup: His hat trick reduced New Zealand to 221, a score that was easily chased. A hat trick is always special but when it comes in the World Cup it is even more so.
11. Sourav Ganguly’s 183 versus Sri Lanka at Taunton, 1999 World Cup: Both teams were going into the game with their stay in the tournament at stake. Ganguly’s partner Ramesh fell in the first over. In came Rahul Dravid whose 145 supported Ganguly in a partnership of 318. The Prince of Kolkata hit the spinners with ease all over the ground. It sealed Sri Lanka’s fate and gave India hope to progress to the super sixes.
12. Srinath, Zaheer and Nehra’s mauling of Sri Lanka at Johannesburg, 2003 World Cup: This is one of India’s best seam bowling performance in One Day Cricket. With 290 on the board India were looking for early breakthroughs. Srinath provided four of them, Zaheer chipped in with two and Nehra cleaned up the tail with four. They were bowled out under 20 overs which goes to show what the bowling would have been.
13. Rahul Dravid’s 145 versus Sri Lanka at Taunton, 1999 World Cup: Ganguly’s display overshadowed this great knock from “The Wall.” He took the singles, hit the boundaries and did not let the spinners settle. This knock was also worth its weight in gold.
14. Navjyot Singh Sidhu's sixes in the 1987 World Cup: When Sidhu made his debut in 1983 and was dropped soon after, he was described by a writer as a "strokeless wonder." He returned four years later in the 1987 World Cup and was hitting the ball out of the ground consistently. Spinners had no respite when he batted. That was the man's answer to the people who doubted his talent. India found a batsman who was to serve them well for another 12 years.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
INJURIES AND MIND GAMES
Just seven days remain for the World Cup and cricket fever is hitting the roof. We fans are so eager for the tournament to start but just think how the players must be feeling. The biggest tournament that they get to play is just a week away. After four years of wait, various tests and ODI’s, three T20 World Cups, three IPL’s, it all boils down to this. All the camps will be full of excitement and motivating talks. The mind games have already begun not just from players or captains but even from the former players. One by one we are seeing players being replaced due to injuries. The last week build up to the World Cup is the most exciting as it just adds to your eagerness and expectations. The mind games, injuries, publicity etc. are all a part of it. This build up should be enjoyed except the injuries off course.
I have mentioned in my previous posts what a World Cup means to a player. When a player plays it for the first time, his heart and soul are full of expectations and hunger to do well. When he has played it more than once it is all about winning it for the country as there is nothing to prove individually. No other tournament generates a greater team feeling than the World Cup and this is the most beautiful aspect of the grand event. It is this very reason why I feel really bad for the players out injured.
Playing in the World Cup is a dream and the most frustrating thing for a player is to miss it due to injury. Being dropped doesn’t feel as bad as being ruled out injured. Australia, England and India have all lost at least one main player due to injury. Most of these players have been the key to their teams’ consistency and at some stage they will be missed. Let us have a look at the injuries in each team, their implications and their replacements.
1. Australia: Michael Hussey and Nathan Hauritz are the players out injured. Michael Hussey is the biggest casualty for them as we know he is their mainstay and the most dependable batsman in the middle order. He is the kind of a player who can do the difficult easily. His exclusion is a big blow to the Australians but they had many options to choose from. Adam Voges and Callum Ferguson were the top contenders but Ferguson was picked. It is to be seen how well he can do but at some stage they will miss Hussey. Nathan Hauritz was lucky to be picked in the squad in the first place but the nasty injury at Hobart really spoilt his chances. Xavier Doherty also injured himself making way for Jason Krejza. I think Krejza is the luckiest man going into the World Cup as nobody would have imagined him making the flight as he made his ODI debut just last Sunday. With just one ODI and two tests behind him let us see what he can do.
2. India: Praveen Kumar could not recover in time from his elbow injury. He along with Zaheer and Nehra forms a very good One Day bowling unit and will be missed. His skidy pace and wily movement is a big asset and in particular in the sub continent. His replacement is S.Sreesanth. He was unlucky to make the cut but now he has a chance to play in the World Cup. Sreesanth will get you wickets but can be a touch expensive at times.
3. England: Eoin Morgan is the biggest casualty as he injured his finger in the final stages of the ODI series in Australia. England had done well by sending back players with niggles so that they can recover for the World Cup and Morgan’s injury is something that they just missed out. It was believed that his finger was bruised but it was later revealed that it was in fact a fracture. His maverick innings will be really missed in this World Cup. He can score in uncanny areas and that is a headache for opposition captains. Ravi Bopara has flown in all the way from the Caribbean to replace Morgan. Bopara is a good hitter and an impact player but it is to be seen if he can have the same impact as Morgan or emulate his own performance of the previous World Cup.
MIND GAMES
As the World Cup comes nearer I am glued to the news waiting for some statement by any player, captain or ex player. Most captains have done well by being very diplomatic in their statements but some have set the tone by laying down a challenge.
The most vocal player from the Indian camp has been Virender Sehwag. He has already said that India are wary of Bangladesh but are looking forward to the revenge match at Mirpur on next Saturday. Today, he has said that he is looking to carry his bat through the innings something that his opening partner Sachin Tendulkar has been trusted with. On the other hand MS Dhoni has been playing down the hype and has said that India are looking to perform and are not thinking about the expectations etc.
The main statements from the Australian camp haven’t come from Ricky Ponting but from his predecessor Steve Waugh. He has warned India that playing the World Cup for Sachin is not going to help them win. He has stated that the team comes before the individual. I think Steve Waugh is trying to put pressure on the home team but has failed to understand the meaning of “winning it for Tendulkar.” For years he has been the talisman of Indian Cricket and lives in the heart of every Indian Cricket fan. All the fans want the cup for the country and his trophy cabinet. At the end of the day if India wins the World Cup then the fans would be happy that “India has won the world cup.” So, according to me it is still and will always be about the team.
Meanwhile the Canadian captain Ashish Bagai has said that his team is not here to be the pushovers of the tournament. They are here to compete and are aiming to beat Zimbabwe, Kenya and any of the top teams. He said that “If this is not our aim then there is no point in coming to the World Cup.” Going into the tournament this is the right attitude from the captain. If his other players can back him then anything is possible.
AB de Villiers has said that South Africa are no longer “chokers.” He has said that they have been performing in tough situations and that is the opposite of “chokers.” South Africa have always performed under pressure but not in crunch knock out matches. The last time they performed in a knock out fixture was when they won the 1998 Champions Trophy (then the ICC knock-out). If we rewind to May last year, they were well placed to go through to the ICC World T20 semi final but they just choked against Pakistan letting the latter go through. If South Africa can do really well at this World Cup or even win it then they will get rid of the tag of chokers. Playing in an ICC tournament is very different from any regular series and let us see if South Africa can find the consistency in the World Cup that they usually display.
The most amazing statement has come from Shahid Afridi who has said that his side is the most dangerous in the tournament and should make it to the semis. We know how dangerous they can be but I think Sri Lanka is the most dangerous side in the tournament because they are the most balanced side. They have the batsmen, bowlers and all rounder who can all win matches. Pakistan is a balanced and a dangerous team but Afridi’s statement can work both ways. It may boost the confidence of his players or may in turn put a little extra pressure on them. As a cricket fan I hope they play some good cricket and thrill the crowds at this World Cup.
Coming back to the field, the first on-field action starts today as various teams are going to play their warm up games. The matches scheduled are
1. Kenya vs. West Indies (Can Kenya repeat 1996)
2. Sri Lanka vs. Netherlands
3. Bangladesh vs. Canada (Is there a repeat of the 2003 World Cup encounter where Canada emerged victorious)
4. Ireland vs. New Zealand
5. South Africa vs. Zimbabwe
I have mentioned in my previous posts what a World Cup means to a player. When a player plays it for the first time, his heart and soul are full of expectations and hunger to do well. When he has played it more than once it is all about winning it for the country as there is nothing to prove individually. No other tournament generates a greater team feeling than the World Cup and this is the most beautiful aspect of the grand event. It is this very reason why I feel really bad for the players out injured.
Playing in the World Cup is a dream and the most frustrating thing for a player is to miss it due to injury. Being dropped doesn’t feel as bad as being ruled out injured. Australia, England and India have all lost at least one main player due to injury. Most of these players have been the key to their teams’ consistency and at some stage they will be missed. Let us have a look at the injuries in each team, their implications and their replacements.
1. Australia: Michael Hussey and Nathan Hauritz are the players out injured. Michael Hussey is the biggest casualty for them as we know he is their mainstay and the most dependable batsman in the middle order. He is the kind of a player who can do the difficult easily. His exclusion is a big blow to the Australians but they had many options to choose from. Adam Voges and Callum Ferguson were the top contenders but Ferguson was picked. It is to be seen how well he can do but at some stage they will miss Hussey. Nathan Hauritz was lucky to be picked in the squad in the first place but the nasty injury at Hobart really spoilt his chances. Xavier Doherty also injured himself making way for Jason Krejza. I think Krejza is the luckiest man going into the World Cup as nobody would have imagined him making the flight as he made his ODI debut just last Sunday. With just one ODI and two tests behind him let us see what he can do.
2. India: Praveen Kumar could not recover in time from his elbow injury. He along with Zaheer and Nehra forms a very good One Day bowling unit and will be missed. His skidy pace and wily movement is a big asset and in particular in the sub continent. His replacement is S.Sreesanth. He was unlucky to make the cut but now he has a chance to play in the World Cup. Sreesanth will get you wickets but can be a touch expensive at times.
3. England: Eoin Morgan is the biggest casualty as he injured his finger in the final stages of the ODI series in Australia. England had done well by sending back players with niggles so that they can recover for the World Cup and Morgan’s injury is something that they just missed out. It was believed that his finger was bruised but it was later revealed that it was in fact a fracture. His maverick innings will be really missed in this World Cup. He can score in uncanny areas and that is a headache for opposition captains. Ravi Bopara has flown in all the way from the Caribbean to replace Morgan. Bopara is a good hitter and an impact player but it is to be seen if he can have the same impact as Morgan or emulate his own performance of the previous World Cup.
MIND GAMES
As the World Cup comes nearer I am glued to the news waiting for some statement by any player, captain or ex player. Most captains have done well by being very diplomatic in their statements but some have set the tone by laying down a challenge.
The most vocal player from the Indian camp has been Virender Sehwag. He has already said that India are wary of Bangladesh but are looking forward to the revenge match at Mirpur on next Saturday. Today, he has said that he is looking to carry his bat through the innings something that his opening partner Sachin Tendulkar has been trusted with. On the other hand MS Dhoni has been playing down the hype and has said that India are looking to perform and are not thinking about the expectations etc.
The main statements from the Australian camp haven’t come from Ricky Ponting but from his predecessor Steve Waugh. He has warned India that playing the World Cup for Sachin is not going to help them win. He has stated that the team comes before the individual. I think Steve Waugh is trying to put pressure on the home team but has failed to understand the meaning of “winning it for Tendulkar.” For years he has been the talisman of Indian Cricket and lives in the heart of every Indian Cricket fan. All the fans want the cup for the country and his trophy cabinet. At the end of the day if India wins the World Cup then the fans would be happy that “India has won the world cup.” So, according to me it is still and will always be about the team.
Meanwhile the Canadian captain Ashish Bagai has said that his team is not here to be the pushovers of the tournament. They are here to compete and are aiming to beat Zimbabwe, Kenya and any of the top teams. He said that “If this is not our aim then there is no point in coming to the World Cup.” Going into the tournament this is the right attitude from the captain. If his other players can back him then anything is possible.
AB de Villiers has said that South Africa are no longer “chokers.” He has said that they have been performing in tough situations and that is the opposite of “chokers.” South Africa have always performed under pressure but not in crunch knock out matches. The last time they performed in a knock out fixture was when they won the 1998 Champions Trophy (then the ICC knock-out). If we rewind to May last year, they were well placed to go through to the ICC World T20 semi final but they just choked against Pakistan letting the latter go through. If South Africa can do really well at this World Cup or even win it then they will get rid of the tag of chokers. Playing in an ICC tournament is very different from any regular series and let us see if South Africa can find the consistency in the World Cup that they usually display.
The most amazing statement has come from Shahid Afridi who has said that his side is the most dangerous in the tournament and should make it to the semis. We know how dangerous they can be but I think Sri Lanka is the most dangerous side in the tournament because they are the most balanced side. They have the batsmen, bowlers and all rounder who can all win matches. Pakistan is a balanced and a dangerous team but Afridi’s statement can work both ways. It may boost the confidence of his players or may in turn put a little extra pressure on them. As a cricket fan I hope they play some good cricket and thrill the crowds at this World Cup.
Coming back to the field, the first on-field action starts today as various teams are going to play their warm up games. The matches scheduled are
1. Kenya vs. West Indies (Can Kenya repeat 1996)
2. Sri Lanka vs. Netherlands
3. Bangladesh vs. Canada (Is there a repeat of the 2003 World Cup encounter where Canada emerged victorious)
4. Ireland vs. New Zealand
5. South Africa vs. Zimbabwe
Friday, February 11, 2011
PACK A PUNCH
One of the best parts of about life and cricket is that one can go on discovering new things in the course of time. Like life, cricket evolves. The style of play is ever changing. We have witnessed how batsmen continue to invent new shots. This is not a recent trend but has been happening since the 1800’s. Our Ranjitsinghji is the earliest in memory who invented a new shot. His leg glance was quite a sensation when it was first evolved and today it is major part in the gameplay.
Since the advent of the T20 format the batsmen have been scoring in funny and unconventional methods. Some batsmen have made their own created shots their trademarks. These shots have thrilled and baffled fans world over. Such shots come with the line “Don’t try this at home.”
Today, I have picked up a few players and their trademark shots that we want to see at this world cup. It should be noted that some shots aren’t inventive but I have added them because when they are played by the particular player it is just amazing.
1. Dilscoop: When Tillakaratne Dilshan played this shot for the first time I was absolutely amazed. How can a batsman play a fast bowler over the wicket-keeper’s head. He does that with one knee on the ground risking his face. If you are trying this shot please wear a tooth guard under your helmet but my sincere advice is “Please don’t try this at home, school or anywhere. (a la WWE).”
2. McCullum sweep: Brendon McCullum came to the forefront when he played that amazing 158 against RCB in the first IPL match. The sweep that he plays to the fast bowlers is simply out of this world. It is not exactly a sweep but a kind of a hybrid of a sweep and a scoop. The hundred he scored in a T20 against Australia last year was filled with this shot. He would actually sit down against the pace of Nannes and Tait and sweep them. It would be a thrill to watch this one at the World Cup.
3. David Hussey’s inside out over cover: David Hussey is a fantastic batsman through the off side. One of the best shots he plays is when he goes inside out over cover to the fast bowlers. He just uses the pace of the bowlers and it generally carries all the way. With some small grounds in the tournament, this shot can be a real handful.
4. MS Dhoni’s Helicopter shot: The recent Pepsi ads have given this name to the shot. Off late Dhoni hasn’t been playing the shot that has thrilled people world over. The bat rotating like a blade is worth watching and the ball does go miles. It is more like a hammer throw the only difference being that the bat is still in his hand.
5. Tendulkar’s upper cut: This shot caught the imagination of a nation when he first played it against Shoaib Akhtar in the famous match of the 2003 World Cup. I still remember Ravi Shastri’s words when it was first played “He goes after that one and it is six.” Over the years Tendulkar and Sehwag have perfected this shot and have been playing it over the slips as well.
6. Kevin Pietersen’s reverse hit: How does a man have the time to shift his feet, change his stance and still play a shot. This shot is a headache not only for the bowlers but also for the umpires. If the ball hits his pads, do they consider him as a left hander or a right-hander. Nevertheless, I don’t remember him playing the shot unsuccessfully.
7. Chris Gayle’s stand and deliver: This man has strength. He has good hand eye co-ordination, what more do you want. Fast bowlers or spinners, it doesn’t matter he can cart them out of the ground with minimal footwork. That is stand and deliver for you.
8. Keiron Pollard’s baseball club: Can anybody forget this man clubbing Shaun Tait over mid wicket. I was watching this game on tv but I heard the sound of the bat as if I was there at the ground. He can club any ball on a length as if he is playing baseball.
9. Chamara Silva’s own helicopter shot: Unlike Dhoni’s helicopter shot, Chamara Silva plays this shot with great timing. Dhoni’s helicopter is full of strength whereas it is all grace with Silva. The result of both is generally the same.
Since the advent of the T20 format the batsmen have been scoring in funny and unconventional methods. Some batsmen have made their own created shots their trademarks. These shots have thrilled and baffled fans world over. Such shots come with the line “Don’t try this at home.”
Today, I have picked up a few players and their trademark shots that we want to see at this world cup. It should be noted that some shots aren’t inventive but I have added them because when they are played by the particular player it is just amazing.
1. Dilscoop: When Tillakaratne Dilshan played this shot for the first time I was absolutely amazed. How can a batsman play a fast bowler over the wicket-keeper’s head. He does that with one knee on the ground risking his face. If you are trying this shot please wear a tooth guard under your helmet but my sincere advice is “Please don’t try this at home, school or anywhere. (a la WWE).”
2. McCullum sweep: Brendon McCullum came to the forefront when he played that amazing 158 against RCB in the first IPL match. The sweep that he plays to the fast bowlers is simply out of this world. It is not exactly a sweep but a kind of a hybrid of a sweep and a scoop. The hundred he scored in a T20 against Australia last year was filled with this shot. He would actually sit down against the pace of Nannes and Tait and sweep them. It would be a thrill to watch this one at the World Cup.
3. David Hussey’s inside out over cover: David Hussey is a fantastic batsman through the off side. One of the best shots he plays is when he goes inside out over cover to the fast bowlers. He just uses the pace of the bowlers and it generally carries all the way. With some small grounds in the tournament, this shot can be a real handful.
4. MS Dhoni’s Helicopter shot: The recent Pepsi ads have given this name to the shot. Off late Dhoni hasn’t been playing the shot that has thrilled people world over. The bat rotating like a blade is worth watching and the ball does go miles. It is more like a hammer throw the only difference being that the bat is still in his hand.
5. Tendulkar’s upper cut: This shot caught the imagination of a nation when he first played it against Shoaib Akhtar in the famous match of the 2003 World Cup. I still remember Ravi Shastri’s words when it was first played “He goes after that one and it is six.” Over the years Tendulkar and Sehwag have perfected this shot and have been playing it over the slips as well.
6. Kevin Pietersen’s reverse hit: How does a man have the time to shift his feet, change his stance and still play a shot. This shot is a headache not only for the bowlers but also for the umpires. If the ball hits his pads, do they consider him as a left hander or a right-hander. Nevertheless, I don’t remember him playing the shot unsuccessfully.
7. Chris Gayle’s stand and deliver: This man has strength. He has good hand eye co-ordination, what more do you want. Fast bowlers or spinners, it doesn’t matter he can cart them out of the ground with minimal footwork. That is stand and deliver for you.
8. Keiron Pollard’s baseball club: Can anybody forget this man clubbing Shaun Tait over mid wicket. I was watching this game on tv but I heard the sound of the bat as if I was there at the ground. He can club any ball on a length as if he is playing baseball.
9. Chamara Silva’s own helicopter shot: Unlike Dhoni’s helicopter shot, Chamara Silva plays this shot with great timing. Dhoni’s helicopter is full of strength whereas it is all grace with Silva. The result of both is generally the same.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
HERE THEY COME
There is no doubt that the ICC Cricket World Cup is the biggest tournament in cricket. It is almost every player’s dream to play and win the biggest prize in cricket. The dream does not start when a player is picked into the team but right from the time he was a little boy supporting his team in the World Cup. I can imagine the feeling of the World Cup first timers. Playing the biggest tournament for their country first time, they would have more expectations of themselves than anybody else. A nervous feeling would accompany the hunger for success.
The best part about the World Cup is that it helps teams discover some players. Many times a World Cup helps to define a player’s career. This is most applicable for the first timers. The biggest stage is the biggest test for them. It is a test of their talent, technique and temperament. They have to handle something new as the ads for the world cup by ESPN say “The biggest disappointments and the greatest moments for a team happen on the biggest stage.”
The World Cup brings the best out of the first timers who shine in them. These players generally go on to become the biggest assets to their teams in the aftermath of the tournament. Today, I have picked up a list of World Cup first timers who I believe can become stars at the grand event starting ten days from today. There are a few players who are playing their first world cup but have already had a great impact so I haven’t included them.
1. Steve Smith (Australia): All but 21 years old and he has established himself in the Australia ODI team which is a thing in itself. He can bat according to the situation and bowls leg breaks that can be really useful in the subcontinent. Initially picked for his bowling, he has developed into a more than a useful batsman. His success in the ODI format led him to be picked for three ashes test matches as a replacement for Marcus North.
2. Virat Kohli(India): Most of my readers would know about Virat Kohli. His performances in South Africa have shown that he is capable of playing in any conditions. The thing that strikes me the most about him is his maturity. He has matured to become calm and collected and that will hold him in good stead going into the World Cup.
3. Thissara Perera(Sri Lanka): This man is the find for Sri Lanka in the last year. He is a brutal hitter and a very accurate bowler. His accuracy helps him pick up wickets in heaps at times. As a hitter he can give you extra runs when you are setting a target and can finish games for you if you are chasing.
4. Colin Ingram(South Africa): A left handed batsman in the classy mould already boasts of two ODI centuries. Had a good series in the UAE versus Pakistan and that shows he can be very successful here as the wickets in the Middle East are similar to those in the subcontinent.
5. Francois Du Plessis(South Africa): A few years ago he would have never thought that he would play international cricket and here he is going to represent his country in the biggest of them all. He is a useful leg spinner but he is in the squad mainly for his batting. His fifty in Cape Town showed what he is capable of and I think he along with Duminy have the responsibility of providing solidity in the middle overs and some crazy hitting at the death.
6. Luke Wright(England): A Shane Watson look alike can develop into a very useful all rounder like his doppelganger. He has the ability to hit boundaries at will and usually bats with a strike rate of over a hundred. Bowls with brisk pace which I think is under used.
7. Michael Yardy(England): A very successful player at the first class level is finally making his opportunities count at the international level He is a good left arm spin bowler and a very dependable batsman. He can provide breakthroughs in the middle overs while bowling and some stability with the bat.
8. Ahmed Shehzad(Pakistan): He burst on to the scene as a sixteen year old and was a part of the Pakistan squad that won the 2009 World T20. He wasn’t picked since then but was a revelation in the series against New Zealand. With his style of play I expect him to provide Pakistan with some solid and brisk starts in the World Cup.
9. Kane Williamson(New Zealand): The 20 year old has had a mixed career so far but when you see him in full flow you know what he is capable of. He is very technically sound and that will help him do very well in the conditions here.
10. Junaid Siddique(Bangladesh): A very attacking left handed batsman, he can really take apart a bowling attack in the company of Tamim Iqbal. If you want to beat Bangladesh, get him out early.
11. Adrian Barath(West Indies): When you are earmarked by Brian Lara at the age of eleven you are destined for success. Adrian Barath has shown that he is a very good batsman in any conditions. He got a hundred on test debut at Brisbane and has also got an ODI hundred at Colombo. The hundred at Colombo will really boost his confidence going into the World Cup.
12. Darren Bravo(West Indies): If Barath was picked by Brian Lara, this man resembles Brian Lara in almost everything he does. Firstly he looks a little like Lara and secondly his batting style is somewhat similar. He had a good series in Sri Lanka and will look to continue that form.
The best part about the World Cup is that it helps teams discover some players. Many times a World Cup helps to define a player’s career. This is most applicable for the first timers. The biggest stage is the biggest test for them. It is a test of their talent, technique and temperament. They have to handle something new as the ads for the world cup by ESPN say “The biggest disappointments and the greatest moments for a team happen on the biggest stage.”
The World Cup brings the best out of the first timers who shine in them. These players generally go on to become the biggest assets to their teams in the aftermath of the tournament. Today, I have picked up a list of World Cup first timers who I believe can become stars at the grand event starting ten days from today. There are a few players who are playing their first world cup but have already had a great impact so I haven’t included them.
1. Steve Smith (Australia): All but 21 years old and he has established himself in the Australia ODI team which is a thing in itself. He can bat according to the situation and bowls leg breaks that can be really useful in the subcontinent. Initially picked for his bowling, he has developed into a more than a useful batsman. His success in the ODI format led him to be picked for three ashes test matches as a replacement for Marcus North.
2. Virat Kohli(India): Most of my readers would know about Virat Kohli. His performances in South Africa have shown that he is capable of playing in any conditions. The thing that strikes me the most about him is his maturity. He has matured to become calm and collected and that will hold him in good stead going into the World Cup.
3. Thissara Perera(Sri Lanka): This man is the find for Sri Lanka in the last year. He is a brutal hitter and a very accurate bowler. His accuracy helps him pick up wickets in heaps at times. As a hitter he can give you extra runs when you are setting a target and can finish games for you if you are chasing.
4. Colin Ingram(South Africa): A left handed batsman in the classy mould already boasts of two ODI centuries. Had a good series in the UAE versus Pakistan and that shows he can be very successful here as the wickets in the Middle East are similar to those in the subcontinent.
5. Francois Du Plessis(South Africa): A few years ago he would have never thought that he would play international cricket and here he is going to represent his country in the biggest of them all. He is a useful leg spinner but he is in the squad mainly for his batting. His fifty in Cape Town showed what he is capable of and I think he along with Duminy have the responsibility of providing solidity in the middle overs and some crazy hitting at the death.
6. Luke Wright(England): A Shane Watson look alike can develop into a very useful all rounder like his doppelganger. He has the ability to hit boundaries at will and usually bats with a strike rate of over a hundred. Bowls with brisk pace which I think is under used.
7. Michael Yardy(England): A very successful player at the first class level is finally making his opportunities count at the international level He is a good left arm spin bowler and a very dependable batsman. He can provide breakthroughs in the middle overs while bowling and some stability with the bat.
8. Ahmed Shehzad(Pakistan): He burst on to the scene as a sixteen year old and was a part of the Pakistan squad that won the 2009 World T20. He wasn’t picked since then but was a revelation in the series against New Zealand. With his style of play I expect him to provide Pakistan with some solid and brisk starts in the World Cup.
9. Kane Williamson(New Zealand): The 20 year old has had a mixed career so far but when you see him in full flow you know what he is capable of. He is very technically sound and that will help him do very well in the conditions here.
10. Junaid Siddique(Bangladesh): A very attacking left handed batsman, he can really take apart a bowling attack in the company of Tamim Iqbal. If you want to beat Bangladesh, get him out early.
11. Adrian Barath(West Indies): When you are earmarked by Brian Lara at the age of eleven you are destined for success. Adrian Barath has shown that he is a very good batsman in any conditions. He got a hundred on test debut at Brisbane and has also got an ODI hundred at Colombo. The hundred at Colombo will really boost his confidence going into the World Cup.
12. Darren Bravo(West Indies): If Barath was picked by Brian Lara, this man resembles Brian Lara in almost everything he does. Firstly he looks a little like Lara and secondly his batting style is somewhat similar. He had a good series in Sri Lanka and will look to continue that form.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
FAREWELL THE PRINCE OF KOLKATA
The Prince of Kolkata, Sourav Chandidas Ganguly has announced his retirement from all forms of the game. A decision that I felt came a touch too late especially after he wasn’t picked at the IPL auction earlier this year. However, it does not take away anything from the man who bought winning attitude and fighting spirit in Indian Cricket. He and his legacy will remain with the Indian team and its fans.
I didn’t realize what a phenomenon Dada was till he was dropped from the team in the year 2005. There were protests all over Bengal and some other parts of India. People were furious at this move by the coach and selectors and were out to criticize the management. Meanwhile, away from all this he was scripting his comeback with some great performances in domestic cricket. An ODI was held at Kolkata at that time and the crowd jeered Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell indicating their displeasure. The support that Sourav got from the fans was absolutely unbelievable. That just showed what an impact the man had on the fans.
My earliest memory of Sourav Ganguly is his match winning hundred in the Independence Cup at Dhaka. As a seven year old, it was about the time I started to understand the game and recognize players apart from Sachin and Azhar. I still remember him struggling with cramps but still fighting to get India home against a strong Pakistan bowling attack. Chasing 300 today is difficult let alone 1998 but we got home when Kanitkar cut Saqlain Mushtaq for four. That was the first of his ODI centuries and this just established him as a mainstay in India’s ODI batting line-up. Since then he never looked back.
Many players provide people with moments that are restricted to the field but Sourav gave us moments not just on the field but even off it. Who can forget him taking his shirt off at Lords after the famous win in the Natwest Series final. It showed that India had a captain who did not care what people said and believed in expressing himself. In interviews, press conferences he was always outspoken, ready to voice his opinion and this sometimes got him into some trouble. This attitude rubbed off on a team that was considered poor travelers. It instilled a belief that they could stand up to any opposition, anywhere and beat them. This new found belief worked immediately as India started winning test matches overseas after he became captain. One moment that people don’t remember is his hundred at Brisbane against Australia. Some said he was a suspect against short pitched bowling, some said he cannot play well in Australia. He answered with a brilliant 144 and his reaction after he got his hundred is memorable. This again set the tone for the rest of the tour and India ended up drawing the test series against Steve Waugh’s mighty Australians. He could also get under the skin of the other team. Steve Waugh and Shane Warne would vouch for that. The 2001 series was a turning point in Indian cricket and it was largely due to the captaincy that got the best out of the star performers like Laxman and Harbhajan. Dada would make Steve Waugh wait for quite a while before a toss and hence mind games started from there itself. I even remember him telling Graeme Smith to tell Dale Steyn to be quite as the later was sledging Yuvraj Singh. He called Smith to the centre of pitch and raised one finger and told him what needed to be done. That is dada-giri for you.
What I am saying is that his attitude was a kind of a catalyst that the team needed. When it comes from the captain it is even better. I would say that Ganguly led from the front when it came to motivating his players not just by talk but by example. He laid the foundations for India to be number one in test cricket. We had good players before he became captain but he got the best out of them with the confidence he showed in them. He backed his instincts when it came to choosing youngsters in the squad. Players like Yuvraj, Kaif, Zaheer, Sehwag etc. were picked under his captaincy and flourished under him. The youngsters got the confidence that is needed when they step in to the international arena. He taught the players how not to be intimidated by the other team in any situation. In the Indian scenario he redefined what a captain should do.
Rahul Dravid had said that on the off side first there is god and then Sourav Ganguly. We won’t be able to see those cover drives of the front and back foot anymore. I don’t think anybody played those shots more gracefully than him. Coming back to the Natwest final in 2002, a lot of people tend to forget his contribution. He did what he did best i.e. blaze the off side. That innings of sixty was filled with boundaries through point and cover. I still remember him charging down the wicket to hit the fast bowlers over point and extra cover. He got out attempting a shot on the on side and his displeasure was apparent almost saying “You were amazing through the off side…should have played those shots itself and take India home yourself.” The innings at Brisbane that I mentioned was also filled with cover drives. The best part was that the Australians were bowling that line hoping for him to edge it to the slips but he just drove them on the rise through the off side. Apart from his off side play nobody would forget how ruthless he could be to the spinner. Down the track and bam…that was the formula.
I think his finest hour came when he made a comeback after being dropped in 2005. He was more hungry, more dependable and even better against the short ball. The ouster from the team got the best out of and some of his best knocks were played in his final two years in the international arena. He was one of the few successful batsman in the tour to South Africa in 2006. His 239 was one of the best rescue act I have seen in test cricket. Every knock in this phase signified determination and that is what defined him.
When it comes to qualities, he is far ahead of others in fighting spirit. He had the fire in his belly to prove people wrong. We saw that when he was captain but in the manner in which he made his comeback. This shows exceptional fighting spirit and we saw it again in the third season of the IPL when he stunned people with his fielding something which he wasn’t renowned for. The last season of the IPL may have tempted him to stay longer but from the outset I felt he should have called it a day. All that doesn’t matter as Sourav Ganguly will always be remember for what he has done in the past for India and not for the recent events. Thanks Sourav, thanks for everything. You not only taught the team how to win but you taught us how to fight and emerge victorious in life. I wish you and your family all the happiness.
SOURAV’S TOP KNOCKS
TESTS
1. 239 vs Pakistan at Bangalore: At fifty or sixty odd for four he pulled off a magnificent recovery in the company of Yuvraj Singh. In the process he gt to his first double century.
2. 87 vs South Africa at Kanpur: India were trailing 1-0 in the series coming into this match and need something special. On a misbehaving track he stuck out 87 against a menacing pace attack.
3. 144 vs Australia at Brisbane: at sixty odd for four it looked like the story of the 1999 tour to Australia would repeat but he had other intentions.
4. 51 vs South Africa at Johannesburg: Helped India get a vital first innings lead which helped them to bag their first test win in the Rainbow Nation.
5. 129 vs England at Headingly: On a seaming track he and Tendulkar butchered the England bowling after Rahul Dravid laid a solid platform. India won that match by an innings.
ODI
1. 124 vs Pakistan at Dhaka: The thriller at Dhaka which no Indian fan would forget. Need I say more.
2. 183 vs Sri Lanka at Taunton: India needed to win this match to stay alive in the 1999 World Cup. He and Rahul Dravid mauled the Sri Lankan spinners. Even Murlitharan took a beating.
3. 60 vs England at Lords: Natwest Final, I think the innings was an even bigger highlight than his act on the balcony.
4. Sahara series in Toronto: These matches were owned by him.
Comments are welcomed. Please tell me if I have missed out any of his top knocks…..
I didn’t realize what a phenomenon Dada was till he was dropped from the team in the year 2005. There were protests all over Bengal and some other parts of India. People were furious at this move by the coach and selectors and were out to criticize the management. Meanwhile, away from all this he was scripting his comeback with some great performances in domestic cricket. An ODI was held at Kolkata at that time and the crowd jeered Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell indicating their displeasure. The support that Sourav got from the fans was absolutely unbelievable. That just showed what an impact the man had on the fans.
My earliest memory of Sourav Ganguly is his match winning hundred in the Independence Cup at Dhaka. As a seven year old, it was about the time I started to understand the game and recognize players apart from Sachin and Azhar. I still remember him struggling with cramps but still fighting to get India home against a strong Pakistan bowling attack. Chasing 300 today is difficult let alone 1998 but we got home when Kanitkar cut Saqlain Mushtaq for four. That was the first of his ODI centuries and this just established him as a mainstay in India’s ODI batting line-up. Since then he never looked back.
Many players provide people with moments that are restricted to the field but Sourav gave us moments not just on the field but even off it. Who can forget him taking his shirt off at Lords after the famous win in the Natwest Series final. It showed that India had a captain who did not care what people said and believed in expressing himself. In interviews, press conferences he was always outspoken, ready to voice his opinion and this sometimes got him into some trouble. This attitude rubbed off on a team that was considered poor travelers. It instilled a belief that they could stand up to any opposition, anywhere and beat them. This new found belief worked immediately as India started winning test matches overseas after he became captain. One moment that people don’t remember is his hundred at Brisbane against Australia. Some said he was a suspect against short pitched bowling, some said he cannot play well in Australia. He answered with a brilliant 144 and his reaction after he got his hundred is memorable. This again set the tone for the rest of the tour and India ended up drawing the test series against Steve Waugh’s mighty Australians. He could also get under the skin of the other team. Steve Waugh and Shane Warne would vouch for that. The 2001 series was a turning point in Indian cricket and it was largely due to the captaincy that got the best out of the star performers like Laxman and Harbhajan. Dada would make Steve Waugh wait for quite a while before a toss and hence mind games started from there itself. I even remember him telling Graeme Smith to tell Dale Steyn to be quite as the later was sledging Yuvraj Singh. He called Smith to the centre of pitch and raised one finger and told him what needed to be done. That is dada-giri for you.
What I am saying is that his attitude was a kind of a catalyst that the team needed. When it comes from the captain it is even better. I would say that Ganguly led from the front when it came to motivating his players not just by talk but by example. He laid the foundations for India to be number one in test cricket. We had good players before he became captain but he got the best out of them with the confidence he showed in them. He backed his instincts when it came to choosing youngsters in the squad. Players like Yuvraj, Kaif, Zaheer, Sehwag etc. were picked under his captaincy and flourished under him. The youngsters got the confidence that is needed when they step in to the international arena. He taught the players how not to be intimidated by the other team in any situation. In the Indian scenario he redefined what a captain should do.
Rahul Dravid had said that on the off side first there is god and then Sourav Ganguly. We won’t be able to see those cover drives of the front and back foot anymore. I don’t think anybody played those shots more gracefully than him. Coming back to the Natwest final in 2002, a lot of people tend to forget his contribution. He did what he did best i.e. blaze the off side. That innings of sixty was filled with boundaries through point and cover. I still remember him charging down the wicket to hit the fast bowlers over point and extra cover. He got out attempting a shot on the on side and his displeasure was apparent almost saying “You were amazing through the off side…should have played those shots itself and take India home yourself.” The innings at Brisbane that I mentioned was also filled with cover drives. The best part was that the Australians were bowling that line hoping for him to edge it to the slips but he just drove them on the rise through the off side. Apart from his off side play nobody would forget how ruthless he could be to the spinner. Down the track and bam…that was the formula.
I think his finest hour came when he made a comeback after being dropped in 2005. He was more hungry, more dependable and even better against the short ball. The ouster from the team got the best out of and some of his best knocks were played in his final two years in the international arena. He was one of the few successful batsman in the tour to South Africa in 2006. His 239 was one of the best rescue act I have seen in test cricket. Every knock in this phase signified determination and that is what defined him.
When it comes to qualities, he is far ahead of others in fighting spirit. He had the fire in his belly to prove people wrong. We saw that when he was captain but in the manner in which he made his comeback. This shows exceptional fighting spirit and we saw it again in the third season of the IPL when he stunned people with his fielding something which he wasn’t renowned for. The last season of the IPL may have tempted him to stay longer but from the outset I felt he should have called it a day. All that doesn’t matter as Sourav Ganguly will always be remember for what he has done in the past for India and not for the recent events. Thanks Sourav, thanks for everything. You not only taught the team how to win but you taught us how to fight and emerge victorious in life. I wish you and your family all the happiness.
SOURAV’S TOP KNOCKS
TESTS
1. 239 vs Pakistan at Bangalore: At fifty or sixty odd for four he pulled off a magnificent recovery in the company of Yuvraj Singh. In the process he gt to his first double century.
2. 87 vs South Africa at Kanpur: India were trailing 1-0 in the series coming into this match and need something special. On a misbehaving track he stuck out 87 against a menacing pace attack.
3. 144 vs Australia at Brisbane: at sixty odd for four it looked like the story of the 1999 tour to Australia would repeat but he had other intentions.
4. 51 vs South Africa at Johannesburg: Helped India get a vital first innings lead which helped them to bag their first test win in the Rainbow Nation.
5. 129 vs England at Headingly: On a seaming track he and Tendulkar butchered the England bowling after Rahul Dravid laid a solid platform. India won that match by an innings.
ODI
1. 124 vs Pakistan at Dhaka: The thriller at Dhaka which no Indian fan would forget. Need I say more.
2. 183 vs Sri Lanka at Taunton: India needed to win this match to stay alive in the 1999 World Cup. He and Rahul Dravid mauled the Sri Lankan spinners. Even Murlitharan took a beating.
3. 60 vs England at Lords: Natwest Final, I think the innings was an even bigger highlight than his act on the balcony.
4. Sahara series in Toronto: These matches were owned by him.
Comments are welcomed. Please tell me if I have missed out any of his top knocks…..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)