tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72015733654812104142024-03-14T02:33:09.776-07:00Redefining the game of cricket with its new avatar & thats cricket avatarCricket rules over hunger and thirstPramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.comBlogger306125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-70179386358102084652011-12-18T01:25:00.000-08:002011-12-18T01:42:14.985-08:00Result comes as expected<span style="font-family: arial;">Very rarely does a team comes out successful after winning the toss and choosing to field first. In most of the matches, any captain who wins the toss is seen taking the crease unlike what the South African captain - Graeme Smith has been seen doing. Whatever, as the saying "</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;">all is well that ends well</span><span style="font-family: arial;">" goes, South Africa as expected won the game by an innings and 81 runs which is something to be relished for a long time by the Proteas. Had the South African captain chosen to bat first, may be South Africa would not have had an innings win.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Had South Africa batted first, may be Graeme Smith might not have taken the courage to impose a follow-on on the Sri Lankan team which would have sealed all hopes of South Africa having an innings win. This has been seen in most of the games where even courageous captains think a million times before imposing a follow-on no matter how much the difference between both the teams is. The best example that I can cite is in the Sydney test 2003-04 where the then Indian captain - Sourav Ganguly decided to bat for the second time despite piling up 705 runs in the first innings.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">India had a margin of close to 250 runs in the match against Australia which eventually ended in a draw when all hopes of an Indian win was alive. Coming back to the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-sri-lanka-2011/content/story/545782.html">game between Sri Lanka and South Africa</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, my calculation for Sri Lanka should have seen them piling up atleast 689 runs to see some hopes in the game which eventually didn't happen, needless to be said. Forget about any mammoth total by the Sri Lankan batsmen, they could not even score the total of 180 runs which they managed in their first innings. The Sri Lankans were bundled out for 150 runs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This was 30 runs less than what they could manage in their first innings. Anyone who goes through the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-sri-lanka-2011/engine/current/match/514032.html">scorecard</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> would know that their top order failed miserably with the first major knock coming from the blades of Thilan Samaraweera who scored 32 runs to top the batting among Sri Lankan batsmen. There were four batsmen who scored over 30 runs in the first innings while the 2</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> innings saw only one batsmen doing the same. The Sri Lankan debacle made hay for Vernon Philander who took ten wickets in his third test to see him get the man of the match.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-76023440770398618002011-12-17T01:10:00.000-08:002011-12-18T01:25:37.308-08:00South Africa towards an innings victory?<span style="font-family: arial;">This is at most of the times a common issue with the home team bundling up the opposition no matter by what margin they do it. And, </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-sri-lanka-2011/content/story/545632.html">this time</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> South Africa were no different when they had Sri Lanka tumbling with a lag of 209 runs against the home team with one more wicket still to go. South Africa have in the recent past played some decent cricket with them outplaying India last year and then recently against Australia when they grabbed a 8 wicket win despite having been bowled out for 96 runs in the first innings. This was in Australia and not at home.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">With the situation the South Africans are now in, it looks as though an innings win for them is high on the cards. There are three more days of play left in the game with Sri Lanka needing atleast 300 runs more than what the South Africans manage in the first innings in case they need to keep their hopes of saving the test alive. At present, with the South African scorecard reading 389 runs, assuming that they lose their last and final wicket with no more addition of runs, Sri Lanka as per calculation need atleast 689 runs to tame the hosts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It is not an undisputed fact that a total of 689 is highly difficult though history has seen several such games where a team makes a surprise comeback after being shattered in the first innings. The best example for this would be the Kolkata test between India and Australia where Australia bundled out India for 171 only to see them lose the game after Steve Waugh imposed a follow-on. That match was famous for Laxman's 281 and Harbhajan Singh's Hat-trick. But, that test was played by India at home. Things cannot be assumed to be the same had the same been played away.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Similarly, I can recall Kamran Akmal and Asif Kamal spoiling India's party when they held the nerve in the Delhi test after India had taken a lead of 204 runs powered by Virender Sehwag's 173. The match that should have been won by India happened to end in a draw. Now, keeping in mind the batting line up of Sri Lanka, a miracle can be possible but with other factors also supporting the same. They have Mahela Jayawardane, Samaraweera, Sangakkara etc who can show some hopes with the bat. But, once again the problem lies in their bowling which can be self-destructing.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-22144417534236928242011-12-16T21:42:00.000-08:002011-12-17T22:01:29.457-08:00Day 1 or One day at Centurion?<span style="font-family:arial;">This has never happened to Sri Lanka in the past decade or so when they happen to be tamed on their home soil. I remember Sri Lanka winning the test series 1-0 in 2004-05 with the hosts having a high upper-hand in the first test that was drawn aided with Kumara Sangakkara's 232. Now, Sri Lanka have been bowled out for just less than 200 runs n the board against the Proteas when they </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-sri-lanka-2011/content/story/545474.html">ended their innings at 180</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. The match was one of its kind with the Proteas piling up exactly half of what the Sri Lankan batsmen could manage hours before.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">There was no batsmen from Sri Lanka who could post even 40 runs individually let alone a half century. I had written on this blog before about the lack of experienced bowlers in the Sri Lankan squad though their batting line up happens to be pretty decent. But, after this, it looks as though someone like Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda De Silva have to come back as 25 year olds to save their team from humiliating defeats. Noted batsmen from Sri Lanka namely - Tilekeratne Dilshan and Kumara Sangakkara could not manage more than 6 runs and one run respectively.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Batsmen who rode over 30 runs include Angelo Mathews who top scored 38, Jayawardane (30), Samaraweera (36) and Paranavitana (32) that comes up to 136 runs out of 180. It was not some Dale Steyn, Morkel or Jacques Kallis who did the damage with the ball but was some Vernon Philander who scalped 5 wickets in his third test against a strong batting line-up as mentioned above. Of course, a lot of support was provided from the other end by the experienced Dale Steyn who also picked up 4 wickets which was equally instrumental in the Sri Lankan batting collapse.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The match was played at South Africa which can form as an excuse for the touring team in case they fail to keep up their fans' hopes. With South Africa also being an equally strong outfit, the blame cannot be completely on the Sri Lankan team. One can say that, "</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family:arial;" >had South Africa toured the sub-continent nation, they might have also met with the same fate</span><span style="font-family:arial;">". That forms the "</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family:arial;" >ifs and buts of the story</span><span style="font-family:arial;">." Whatever, in days to come (in the ongoing 1</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">st</sup><span style="font-family:arial;"> test), with their batsmen giving up hopes, nothing much can be expected from their inexperienced bowlers.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-29718703815991556222011-12-15T01:53:00.000-08:002011-12-18T05:19:53.964-08:00Advantage always lies in the home team<span style="font-family: arial;">Well if the history of cricketing nations is taken a close look at,it is the home team that has the upper hand especially in test matches. This is irrespective of which team is playing - be it the mighty Aussies (some 4-5 years down the lane) or the downtrodden West Indies. The home team always has its say. In the recent past or so, the list has included Bangladesh also when they had a drawn test against the West Indies recently though they had a loss earlier in the tournament. Now, the teams which clash against each other are </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-sri-lanka-2011/content/story/545390.html">Sri Lanka and South Africa</a><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Needless to be said, it would definitely be the Proteas who would have an upper hand in atleast test matches that are scheduled. The teams mentioned above are scheduled to play 3 tests and 5 one day internationals with a T20 game missing out due to reasons best known to the makers of the tournament. With this being the point regarding the hosts, all that would be left is to make that advantage count by South Africa. If their recent past (a year or so is considered), they have not fared badly though their performance is not outstanding either at home.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">They drew the test series against India early this year when a mighty Dhoni led team India toured the African nation for a three match test series. That series should have been won by South Africa not only because they were the hosts but also due to the fact that India was not any extraordinary team like the Aussies of the early 2000s. Even the third test was dominated by the Indians which eventually ended in a draw. Following that, South Africa hosted Australia off-late which as everyone knows was drawn with both teams taking home a win. Since then, South Africa haven't hosted any other nation.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Though South Africa have never tasted success at home in test series', they are yet to lose one to any other nation. The fact is also that they have not hosted majority of the teams namely New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (which is due in days to come). And, in case they host also, the result can hardly be expected be any different. But,the discussion here is restricted to only Sri Lanka's tour of South Africa needless to be said. The discussion regarding their bowling is already over with only Dilhara Fernando being the experienced among the lot. But, their batsmen can say something. Let us see.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-27918630183595771162011-12-14T05:20:00.000-08:002011-12-18T05:49:45.541-08:00Bounce will always be the trick<span style="font-family: arial;">This is one advantage that the Aussies, South Africans and the West Indies have on their home soil when they have pitches that can offer uneven bounce. May be that is the reason why bowlers like Curtly Ambrose, Walsh, Ian Bishop, Glenn McGrath, Damien Fleming etc happen to be from that side of the cricketing world though there are the likes of Kapil Dev, Javagal Srinath, Wasim Akram, Imran Khan, Chaminda Vass etc who hail from the sub-continent. But, when it comes to bounce, it has to be no other team but the West Indies. Australia and South Africa follow behind.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This time, Sri Lanka are expected to take on South Africa on their home soil in days to come when batsmen like Jayawardane, Sangakkara and Samaraweera happen to face the wrath of Dale Steyn, Morkel and newly joined pacer Vernon Philander who had some splendid performances in the IPL earlier this year in India. On the other hand, Sri Lanka will be missing the services of Lasith Malinga, Chaminda Vass and Nuwan Kulashekara leaving only the somewhat in form pacer Dilhara Fernando to do his bit for Sri Lanka. I wonder whether such a weak outfit from Sri Lanka has even toured South Africa in the last decade?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Problem regarding the teams like South Africa, Australia and West Indies lies in them tackling spin bowling which made their life hell whenever they toured Sri Lanka with Muralitharan there in the team. But, spin has little or absolutely no effect in the pitches of South Africa for Sri Lanka to try their luck. In that case, the presence of Ajantha Mendis would be only to fill in the vacancy so that the team consists of eleven players. Of course, Ajantha Mendis also is not a perfect turner of the ball which forms a different story altogether. But, the fear for spin bowling can be capitalized by Mendis.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In case there happens to be a fear for spin bowling in the minds of the South African batsmen, then may be spinners from Sri Lanka can have a ball which can rarely happen with the South African team well aware that they are the hosts. And, moreover there is no Muralitharan to do miracles with the ball. But, if </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-sri-lanka-2011/content/story/545201.html">Dale Steyn happens to have his words come true</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, then the ball might just hit the highest point of the bat. And, Dale Steyn's words have a greater probability of coming true, given his form and fitness since the past two years or so. </span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-57180807400363331812011-11-23T20:57:00.000-08:002011-12-17T21:39:32.602-08:00Omissions and inclusions in Sri Lankan team<span style="font-family: arial;">Since the past one year or so, all that the Sri Lankan team has been found to do is to make a mess of their cricket on the field which reached its high in the finals of the world cup where they could not defend a total of 274 against India. Since then, if not for a 2-1 ODI series win against Australia at home, there is nothing much that the Sri Lankan team can rejoice. Since then, their record reads a 2-1 ODI and 1-0 test series loss to England, 1-0 test and 4-1 ODI series loss to Pakistan with a tournament against South Africa due next month.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In addition, they have a 1-0 test series loss to Australia at home. Whatsoever, with such series results in front, the first thing to take the blame would be the chairman of selectors which would in turn point their fingers undoubtedly towards the 15 member squad. The major decision taken by the selectors in this regard is to drop senior batsman Thilan Samaraweera who, though at present is out of form, has contributed a lot towards Sri Lankan cricket in most of the matches he has played. Moreover, Samaweera is a household name in Sri Lankan cricket, dropping whom needs a reconsideration.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, it is being heard that Ajantha Mendis is all set to make a comeback to the Sri Lankan team for the forthcoming series against South Africa. It is believed that Mendis had his name felt ahead of some Suraj Randiv whose name is still yet to reach the ears of cricket fans. It is agreed that Mendis is not in the form that he was some three years down the lane. But, I doubt whether the SLC has any better option but to include Ajantha Mendis? As a matter of fact, even the retired ace spinner Muralitharan was not at his very best in his last few days.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">If one can take a look at the current Sri Lankan team that is due to host the Proteas, then it is learned that there are hardly any experienced fast bowlers in the squad with Dilhara Fernando being the lone exception. With Kumara Sangakkara in the team, person who would be keeping wickets behind the stumps would be a new-comer in Kushal Silva may be to prepare him for forthcoming tours that would include the T20 world cup next year. Whatever be the case, one thing that would be evident from the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-sri-lanka-2011/content/story/541607.html">15 member squad</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> would be that their bowling would suffer like never before.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-78678213483176637742011-11-12T22:31:00.000-08:002011-11-12T22:54:17.873-08:00A last chance slips out from Aussies<span style="font-family: arial;">A target of 236 would always be a tough one for any team especially after they were bundled out for less than 100 runs on the board. And, if South Africa have been able to achieve that, then the Aussies are solely to blame with their bowlers not being able to restrict them. There was more than three days of play left meaning the Proteas had more than three days of play left for them to achieve victory over the visiting side. In other words, the proteas had to battle out for three more days on a pitch that saw successive teams getting bowled out for less than 100 runs.</span><br style="font-family: arial;"><br style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Making matters still worse, Australia were bowled out for even less than 50 runs on the board. And, chasing 236 on that pitch which would have got deteriorated even more after repeated bounce could only be a dream come true for anyone who has been able to do so. Much to anybody's surprise, the pitch looked as though it assisted the batsmen when both the players who took to the crease were found returning with a hundred and remaining unbeaten towards the end. South Africa had won the contest by 8 wickets needless to be said. But, it is a mystery that the match lasted only three days.</span><br style="font-family: arial;"><br style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I remember Pakistan bowling out the Aussies for a modest total of 127 in late 2009 and towards the end, it was Australia who comprehensively won the match after Mike Hussey laid a steady platform. This was not such a game with both teams having been bowled out for less than hundred runs as mentioned repeatedly. If the first innings of the Aussie batting and the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-australia-2011/content/story/540088.html">second (last) innings of the South African batting</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> is considered, batting can never be said to be tough. The match is one such confusing game with the pitch doing all sorts of tricks in the second day alone.</span><br style="font-family: arial;"><br style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">One record was bettered by the other with first South Africa bowling out Australia for 47 after they were bowled out for 96 on board. And then, if Shane Watson returned with figures of 5/17, Philander ended with 5-15. South Africa win the contest in all aspects of the game. However, the highlight of the game should be Michael Clarke's 151 which laid the foundation of a huge total of 284 on a pitch needless to be said. The match saw two 5 wicket takers and three century scorers. This will no doubt go down as one of the most confusing tests in history.</span><br style="font-family: arial;">Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-55796679764005522592011-11-11T05:13:00.000-08:002011-11-12T21:44:51.724-08:00Bowler's day out at Cape Town<span style="font-family: arial;">It is a matter of the past that Australia are no more the untouchables that they were some 5 years down the lane. But, at the same time, Australia are not even the team that any ordinary team can beat with minimum effort. But, South Africa have repeatedly made that statement false first when they snatched a series victory over the Aussies in 2009 by a margin 2-1 at Australia. Since then there have been three teams who have haunted Australia more than anybody else namely India, England and South Africa. If not for these three teams, the Aussie record is not bad against other teams.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">No other team has been able to trouble the Aussies to a greater extent. Of course, Australia is yet to face Pakistan on its home soil and may be that will happen when the Aussie team gets deteriorated to an even greater extent which might take a decade. May be by that time, test cricket would have been restored in Pakistan after security issues would have been cleared. However, in the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-australia-2011/content/story/539933.html">second day of the Cape Town test</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> between South Africa and Australia saw 23 wickets falling with South Africa facing the heat though it was Australia who made news for all wrong reasons.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The highest individual score from the Aussie side came from the blades of the number 11 batsmen - Nathan Lyon who scored 14 runs. The time for the bowlers were in such a way that the Australian batsmen didn't allow the South African bowlers to bowl even a single extra delivery and much to anybody's surprise, there were no byes and leg-byes as well. If the 96 runs scored by South Africa in their first innings started wagging all the tongues, the Aussies grabbed the headlines when they couldn't even manage even half of that total. This match saw Australia reeling at 21-9.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">There can be no words that can describe the Aussie batting which for the first time in the decade saw them flatter for less than 50 runs on the board. South Africa now holds the distinction of bowling out the Aussies twice for a score of less than hundred in both ODIs as well as in tests. One has to crawl through the internet to see where this score lies starting from the bottom of the table. But still, at the end of the day, it is Australia who has an upper hand when they have a 284 total in the first innings. </span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-49010460607230027142011-11-10T04:46:00.000-08:002011-11-12T05:11:24.184-08:00A mistake made by Smith<span style="font-family: arial;">Well the South African captain - Greame Smith no doubt should have considered his decision a million times or else repent regarding the same a million times when he chose to field first in a test match and that too involving Australia against whom he has had a series loss in the ODIs. There are hardly any cases in a test match where a captain wins the toss and chooses to field first because, in most of the cases, the pitch gets deteriorated day by day making it tough for the batsmen. In such a case, anyone who faces the bowlers first will have the initial advantage.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It has been more than two years since South Africa faced Australia be it on their home soil or outside. In the last two times since the two teams have met each other, both of them have walked away with a series. Much to anybody's surprise, South Africa won the series 2-1 in Australia while Australia won the series by the same margin in South Africa in the return series. This time, the series is scheduled at South Africa and if anybody has to go by the history, then it should be Australia walking with the honors. However, that has a long way to go.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-australia-2011/content/story/539828.html">first day's</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> play at Cape Town, the scorecard clearly suggests that the pitch was a tough one to bat on with the way the Australian batsmen scored losing 8 wickets in between. There was Michael Clarke who scored an unbeaten century and Shaun Marsh who supported by scoring a handy 44 runs. In the end, the Australian run-rate was 3.89 runs an over. Though one side of the story suggests that the pitch was tough for batsmen, there was Michael Clarke who scored runs at a quick pace by ending the day scoring 107* runs from 114 balls.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">With rain taking away almost 40 overs of the day's play, a lot of excitement has been stripped off the match making people wait for 24 hours more to see their favorite teams play it out there. One has to congratulate the South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher for claiming his 500</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> victim behind the stumps. This was not something achieved by either a batsman or a bowler. Very rarely do wicketkeepers and fieldsmen make news for the good reasons unlike batsmen and bowlers. With none of the wicketkeepers making it to even 400, Boucher's efforts and achievement should never go unnoticed.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-43822512755046760842011-11-02T06:19:00.000-07:002011-11-12T04:44:18.438-08:00Yuvraj Singh on test cricket<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWn2F2vdF92y2LvGGgk7R7iwOB5ZQWUwSyBUYdCFQ9HPx901_4oWt3xjRHKiwl3htjRsrFgZUT-6lxsXyHeY_-2GhiiyKwYWOQvyOJ3pLzYwqQCWGUEnj7R804Z7nMJrqPz-DWyFHvEHAf/s1600/Yuvraj-Singh.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWn2F2vdF92y2LvGGgk7R7iwOB5ZQWUwSyBUYdCFQ9HPx901_4oWt3xjRHKiwl3htjRsrFgZUT-6lxsXyHeY_-2GhiiyKwYWOQvyOJ3pLzYwqQCWGUEnj7R804Z7nMJrqPz-DWyFHvEHAf/s200/Yuvraj-Singh.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5671891233101125522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" >Well this has been one of the most mysteries in international cricket that <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-west-indies-2011/content/story/538757.html">Yuvraj Singh</a></span><span style="font-family: arial;"> has had to fight for a place in the test side of the Indian side despite being in the top form in the other two formats of the game. Someone like Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and Rohith Sharma have been able to make it to the test team not only in games involving Bangladesh and that played at India but they have been called in during the Border - Gavaskar trophy in 2008 which was a tough challenge for Indians. The list also includes Parthiv Patel and Dinesh Karthik.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It is agreed that both the above mentioned names have made it to the playing XI as wicketkeepers unlike others who have made it as batsmen. But, one has to doubt whether Yuvraj Singh is a much under-rated batsman compared to the likes of Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli? On the otherhand, someone like Mahendra Singh Dhoni was made the captain of the Indian test squad ahead of Laxman and Sehwag who were seniors compared to Dhoni. No doubt that Dhoni has been able to fulfill the commitments to the fullest extent may be even more than what Laxman and Sehwag would have achieved.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">However, the discussion here once again asks whether Yuvraj Singh needs multiple reconsideration for his place in the test squad? This is one of those rare cases where bowlers have an upper hand compared to batsmen when they have been able to make it to the test team in the initial stages of their career while batsmen fail to do it even after years of them making their debut in international cricket. Irfan Pathan debuted in one of the most important series namely the Border - Gavaskar trophy 2003/04 and should consider himself lucky enough to have the wicket of Steve Waugh.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So was the case with people like Ishanth Sharma, who was chosen for the same Border - Gavaskar trophy four years later in 2008. But,m Yuvraj Singh was made to warm the benches in the same tournament if not for a couple of games. Despite making his international debut in 2000, it took almost four years for Yuvraj Singh to play his first test match against New Zealand which was nonetheless a miserable one with him getting limited opportunity there and was once for all sacked for the Australian tour that year. But, that has not been the case regarding Sehwag.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-31067929613588364852011-11-01T08:30:00.000-07:002011-11-01T09:01:08.510-07:00Jesse Ryder is just confusing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYenpA5oICNPNKk_WIkf4yk0EE2C7IkeBd4C85r4xZmKVmAvxv914nQTeJ6f-LUsk-lB9nuuUGk7HtdrGATZ8PyuiMetN_3Hwdr4uVJNCyfActAK4hLwqqgbomMuxCgVWNkuZlfpnCf4j/s1600/Jesse%252BRyder%252BNew%252BZealand%252BMedia%252BSession%252Bw_0I9AAAuWNl.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 136px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYenpA5oICNPNKk_WIkf4yk0EE2C7IkeBd4C85r4xZmKVmAvxv914nQTeJ6f-LUsk-lB9nuuUGk7HtdrGATZ8PyuiMetN_3Hwdr4uVJNCyfActAK4hLwqqgbomMuxCgVWNkuZlfpnCf4j/s200/Jesse%252BRyder%252BNew%252BZealand%252BMedia%252BSession%252Bw_0I9AAAuWNl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670057545046525154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Well the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/zimbabwe-v-new-zealand-2011/content/story/538678.html">latest from the world of cricket</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> we learn is that the New Zealand captain Ross Taylor insists that the injury prone New Zealand (obviously) </span><del style="font-family: arial;">batsman bowler</del><span style="font-family: arial;"> player has to restrict himself from bowling (no matter what sort of deliveries) owing to an injury in his calf muscle which has off-late been successful in having Ryder warm the benches during the first and the only test against Zimbabwe at Bulwayo which will be starting in a couple of moments from now onwards. This, we understand that happened during a warm up game against the same that he encountered the injury while bowling at nets.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Injuries can happen anywhere and at anytime and last but not the least to anyone and Jesse Ryder is no exception. But, the news is that Jesse Ryder happens to battle injuries more than battling the opposition out there in the middle since late last year and to be more precise in the series against India in India. Jesse Ryder missed the one day series against India last year owing to the same calf muscle injury. Ahead of that, there were problems for Ryder with his elbow and abductor muscle. Still that should not be a problem for New Zealand and once again, injuries do not follow any routine.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But, when Jesse Ryder happens to battle injuries and that too career threatening ones, one has to have a close look at his type of play which suggests that Jesse Ryder is a medium fast bowler and bowls occasionally and not a full time bowler say like Daniel Vettori and Shane Bond. On the otherhand, he is a batsmen who gets in at number six at which time either winning the match or else losing the same would have been a certainty. It is just amazing to see such a player battling injuries and that too more frequently. Just confusing!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The batsman until now has played only 37 one dayers and 16 test matches. And now, this has become a reason of concern for the Kiwi captain Ross Taylor who wants to keep Ryder away from bowling. One has to wonder what makes Taylor worry about the absence of the bowling of Ryder when there are other bowlers who can do the job for New Zealand and with Ryder being a part-time bowler, the job gets reduced a little bit. It should not be a worry if Ryder misses the test against Zimbabwe when there are better and challenging games coming ahead.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-11875000329883446482011-10-30T23:21:00.000-07:002011-10-31T23:42:03.244-07:00This is what over-confidence makes<span style="font-family: arial;">Well the one-off T20 match between India and England was just another instance of one team over estimating itself and in the process taking the opposition or granted. This time, it was not a hare-tortoise story that was the case with India but this was a result of the wrong selection of the playing XI which proved costly for India. The match definitely was a costly one for India where the loss was not restricted to one match alone but was as good as a series loss where India lost all the T20 games it played. Loss record for India is 100% in the T20 tournament against England this series.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Though only one T20 game was played, a loss in that means India lost 100% of its matches. Coming to the game, it was not a good decision to include someone like Robin Uttappa in the playing XI when one has to take a long route to trace back when exactly did Uttappa last play an international T20 match. That was not a bad decision as well when Uttappa has been a player on the to be included lists but, yesterday's </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2011/engine/match/521217.html">scorecard</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> says it all. All that Uttappa could score was a single before Kieswetter caught him behind the stumps. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">There have been matches in this bilateral series where huge totals have been chased down but there have been no games where small totals have been defended successfully. And, with that fact in front of us, it should come in as no surprise that a total of 120 stood nowhere when it comes to chasing and England did exactly that. Though Suresh Raina was successful to a little extent, the batsman with the highest strike-rate happened to be Ashwin who scored 17 runs at a strike rate of 154.54 runs. The generosity of the Indian batsmen was evident when they gave away 2 overs maiden.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">There was surprisingly nothing much to complain about the English batsmen when they had the match well in their chance. Thanks to the total of 120 set up by the Indian batsmen which didn't make any of the English batsmen to fear for. Though here were initial strikes of Hales and Kieswetter, the batsmen who came in later had little to do with most of the damage being done by the bowlers. One can go through the scorecard to see who the major wicket-takers were. If not for Jadeja, the rest of the players who returned with a wicket were part-time bowlers.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-42505919041438150952011-10-26T08:50:00.000-07:002011-10-27T09:07:56.478-07:00England had come to lose<span style="font-family: arial;">It is nothing but a well sought after loss to England when they couldn't even come close to the target of 272 despite at one stage of the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2011/engine/match/521222.html">game</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> being in a comfortable position at 129-0. With such a start, most of the teams in the ICC's list would have played a spoilsport to a team that had plans to whitewash their opposition rather than support the same. Keeping that initial grip apart, England could manage only 47 runs from 15 overs at a run-rate of just over 3.00 runs an over. One has to doubt whether it was the same England who whitewashed India on their previous tour.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">With such a dismal performance, it is difficult to say where the problem lies with England. Was it because of the fact that the powerplay got over which was responsible for their batting debacle or was it that the Indian bowlers got their rhythm only after the 21</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">st</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> over or last but not the least, if not for their openers, no one had come prepared for the game? One can understand the problem the English batsmen have playing spin bowling under sub-continent conditions. But, if someone like Ashwin and Jadeja can tackle players with a decade old experience, there can be little said about such team.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">There were the likes of Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara who could have done a bit to save some face for their team. Earlier as well, things didn't go on as smoothly for the Indian batsmen when Gautam Gambhir and Rahane had to be patient when facing the new ball. In the end, it was Dhoni's quickfire 75* runs that saw the Indian total cross the 250 run mark. In my opinion, Mahendra Singh Dhoni should have been the man of the match along with Ravindra Jadeja. But, Jadeja was also not a bad choice for the award. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">First of all, it was a wrong decision to allow the hosts to bat on a pitch that was tough for the batsmen which was evident when hard hitting batsmen like Dhoni and Gambhir had to fight with patience initially until the could settle down. Due to that mistake from Alistair Cook, Dhoni and with that India got the advantage of slog overs towards the end of the innings which Dhoni efficiently used. But still, losing 9 wickets for 47 runs speaks it all for England to have got used to losing or donated the match to India. With a T20 game left, one has to see whether India can make it 6-0.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-36673484906825671802011-10-24T08:16:00.000-07:002011-10-24T08:38:48.952-07:00A totally clueless England<span style="font-family: arial;">Looking at </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2011/engine/current/match/521221.html">yesterday's game between India and England</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, one has to pinch himself to see whether it was a dream that he was witnessing when India crushed England yet another time despite winning the series for the fourth consecutive time to return the favor back to the touring nation. That was not the Indian team with the likes of Sehwag and Yuvraj doing the trick with the bat but some Varun Aaron whose name was felt only yesterday when he grabbed 3 wickets returning with a spell that read 6.1-1-24-3. As an Indian cricket fan I wish there were more than 5 games.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Had the series been a 7 match one, India would have made history when they would have become the first ever team to have won all their matches in a 7 match one day series. Players like Vinay Kumar, Praveen Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin make their names felt only once in a blue moon. But, against a team like England and especially yesterday, they had their ball do the talking. Though Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar proved comparatively costly with the ball, they had a wicket against their names and an over maiden. Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were the most successful bowlers with 3 and 2 wickets respectively.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It was confusing whether the pitch aided the bowlers or the batsmen when India were on the top in both the departments while England were at the receiving end in both. Had the pitch aided the batsmen, England, with the likes of Pietersen, Cook and Bopara should have made it count. But, all England could manage was 220 on the board finishing their innings with 4 more overs still to go. And, had the pitch been a bowler's paradise, then still the Indian batsmen should not have seen the match end with 10 more overs still to go. Does England have an answer?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">India had three quick wickets falling when Gambhir, Ajinkya Rahane and Parthiv Patel fell early. Thanks to Greame Swann who grabbed three wickets out of the four that fell to see at least one English bowler returning successful. With that initial success, though a win was far from reach, the match should not have ended so early when there were ten more overs left. May be the English captain wanted to prove that England batsmen played more than the Indian batsmen could manage. To put an end to the sweet revenge, all India now require is a win in the fifth ODI and a win in the one-off T20 match.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-37247213220383423812011-10-21T23:46:00.000-07:002011-10-27T08:50:14.331-07:00No total is big for Dhoni's men<span style="font-family: arial;">It is now a matter of past that India have won the series after won the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2011/engine/current/match/521220.html">third ODI</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> at Mohali yesterday when they were the favorites to not only win the series but also to whitewash the England team that is touring the sub-continent nation. Yesterday, needless to be said, India beat England after chasing a total in excess of 300 for yet another time. It is non countable the number of times India have successfully chased down a 300+ total in one dayers. The only difference between the third ODI and the previous two one dayers was that this time England put up a better performance with the bat.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">For a change, Alistair Cook who did the damage to a little extent with the bat was found to crash when he fell with the scoreboard reading just 8 runs with his contribution being 3. However, the incoming batsmen did a fab job by bringing up a total of 298 which may was the maximum the English batsmen could manage at least in this series. But, needless to be said, that total was too less for the likes of Dhoni, Jadeja and co when they had the target with four balls to go and with 5 wickets still in hand. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It is obvious for someone like Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli to inflict a damage on the opposition bowlers. But,for a change, even some Ajinkya Rahane was able to do the same along with a decent support given by Parthiv Patel from the other end. Rahane scored 91 which was his maiden effort that won a match for India and was awarded the man of the match. Earlier in the day, it is not sure whether Dhoni was experimenting with his bowlers when he repeatedly tossed the ball to Umesh Yadav who went in for over 7.00 runs an over.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Luckily, for Dhoni and India, all those bowlers who did not bowl their full quota of 10 overs had a wicket against their name when Kohli, Vinay Kumar and Ravindra Jadeja returned with a wicket each. The England captain was never found taking any sort of risk when he didn't hand the ball to Ravi Bopara despite going for just 4.00 runs an over. Four bowlers from England completed their quota of 10 overs which proved costly for them. Everything apart, if someone like Rahane, Parthiv Patel etc start scoring quick runs, the caliber of the England has to come under scrutiny.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-65787652791570320982011-10-15T06:27:00.000-07:002011-10-23T09:25:53.025-07:00Sweet revenge 1 for India<span style="font-family: arial;">It is needless to be said about the way Indians will take on the English team on their return series to India where they are scheduled to play 5 one dayers and one T20 game. Luckily for England, there will be no test matches to worry about. Had this been something similar to the Ashes, they would have retained the title for a mere 2 months before surrendering the same to India. Yesterday, at Hyderabad India registered a first win against England by 126 runs which was more than any margin of victory for both teams in the last two series played against each other.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The English bowlers had absolutely no answers to the helicopter shot by Mahendra Singh Dhoni who top scored with 87 and was awarded the man of the match. There were contributions from other batsmen as well that included Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Gautam Gambhir to a greater extent. The only bowler from England who tasted success a little bit was Graeme Swann who had an over maiden and a wicket to his name. Of course, even Steven Finn and Jade Dernbach also returned with a wicket but were at the same time belted for more than 6.0 runs an over.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">If the batsmen did their work by scoring runs and keeping the scoreboard ticking, even the bowlers were not short of performing their duty when no bowler bowled his complete quota of 10 overs and still saw all 10 wickets from England tumbling as though it was a day 5 of a test match. If not for Alistair Cook, no other batsmen had a worthy contribution with the bat though Jonathan Trott stayed there at the crease for a decent amount of time. 6 out of the eleven English batsmen who made it to the crease (obviously) returned back scoring single digit scores.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">England's innings got over with close to 15 overs of their game still to go. </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2011/engine/match/521218.html">Scorecard</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> suggests that only Praveen Kumar had an over maiden under his name though other bowlers were no short in tackling their opposition. Umesh Yadav was the most expensive bowler who gave away runs at a rate of 6.40 runs an over which can be forgiven, given India's victory over the trouble torn team and with Umesh Yadav being in his early cricketing days. The first six in the English innings came from the blades of the number 10 batsman - Steven Finn who luckily remained unbeaten.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-6798213537562936042011-10-12T08:47:00.000-07:002011-10-23T09:03:56.454-07:00A last smile on English faces<span style="font-family:arial;">I have written in my last post regarding the way Western teams struggle on their tour to the sub-continent and England being one among them, their days of misery will soon start with the first ODI scheduled on 14</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family:arial;"> of this month at the same venue where England have won two games on the trot against </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2011/engine/match/521216.html">Hyderabad Associations XI</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> with the second match having a huge margin of 253 runs. Needless to be said, there are no teasers for the team who have lost and I personally congratulate the Hyderabad Associations XI for sacrificing for a good cause by losing both the games. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">There was absolutely no chance of the domestic team winning over an international team but, had England beaten Hyderabad Associations' XI without the services of Pietersen and co, one might have considered their guts before facing the real threat. There are hardly any chances of England grabbing even one game away from the Indians which will see the likes of Gambhir and Zaheer Khan making a comeback after they were ruled out of their previous tour to England. The match that happened yesterday would no doubt be cheered by the tourists who would be thinking of achieving a milestone here.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">England have in the past done it against the West Indies when they won both series, one at home and the other away without losing a single test. But, India is no West Indies and no matter how bad the team has been, hardly any team from the West has been able to trouble India on their home soil. The only team that has been able to do so has been Pakistan and no one else. Of course, South Africa have tasted victory on Indian soil in the 90s when they were the favorites under the leadership of late Hansie Cronje. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Jonny Bairstow scored a quickfire 104 from just 53 balls which would have been a bowler's nightmare had it been in an international match. 7 bowlers from Hyderabad were looking helpless with most of the hits going out of the fence in one way or the other. With all that at stake, there was one bowler in Medhi Hassan who scalped 3 wickets out of the four that fell. In the end, England put up a better performance compared to their previous one and Hyderabad put up a more dismal performance by playing one over less than what they could manage in the previous game.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-12332806198425080082011-10-09T07:14:00.000-07:002011-10-23T07:34:32.966-07:00England yet to face the heat<span style="font-family: arial;">Beating any sub-continent team especially India on their home soil definitely needs a lot of talent and effort regarding which Steve Waugh would be the best man to tell you. And, keeping in mind England's whitewash over India just a couple of months back and their most recent 56 run victory over Hyderabad Cricket Association XI might just make them take the Indian players for granted which does not happen to be the case more often. Despite India being an ordinary team in the 90s, Aussies had it tough to even win a single test match in India. And, the caliber of England team need not be cited specially.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Yesterday at Hyderabad, England won the match by 56 runs as mentioned above. That was a state team with none of the players having making it to the Indian team whatsoever. Winning against such a outplayed team needs no effort of any sort which is needless to be said. There were no bowlers of the caliber of Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra to bowl the English batsmen and no Harbhajan Singh to confuse the same. At the same time, the likes of Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir and Sachin Tendulkar were found missing from the playing XI. This was a decent way of welcoming England who are guests here.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">With all those advantages going England's way, they could not post a decent total when all they could score was just 219 on the board. This was included with 5 wickets falling even before the scoreboard reading 100 runs for England. Scoring for England started from the number 5 batsmen when Ravi Bopara top scored with 73. Added to that, the English batsmen were bowled out in the 48</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> over which is another drawback for the guests. Looking at the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-england-2011/engine/match/521215.html">scorecard</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, it is evident that none of the players' names have been heard before by Indian cricket fans who are followers of the game.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Let alone any international match, the names of those players who welcomed the England team didn't even make their presence felt in domestic tournaments also like the IPL. There was no point in highlighting the Hyderabad's closure of their innings in the 37</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> over itself with Hyderabad winding their innings scoring just 163 runs to fall short by 56 runs. However, I don't find any point in Hyderabad winning the game with there being no man of the match award in the match. None of the teams would have gained anything by winning or losing the match. In the end, England should think twice before taking Indians for granted.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-66778403708016081852011-06-02T06:19:00.000-07:002011-06-03T06:48:51.024-07:00Will Harbhajan's dream be relished?<span style="font-family: arial;">Well it is or has always been an accepted theory that only batsmen make good captains while bowlers rarely get the chance to captain their side. This was the case some 7 years back when Sourav Ganguly was forced to opt out of the tournament against Pakistan and Rahul Dravid was made the captain of the then Indian side which saw wins in the first test followed by a defeat in the second. However, Ganguly returned back for the third test which saw India register another innings win against arch rivals-Pakistan. Then, there were two batsmen who captained the Indian side.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">That tournament was famous for Virender Sehwag's (India's) maiden triple hundred when he smashed all the Pakistani bowlers-Saqlain especially all over the ground at Multan. That apart, coming to the point, news on the web is that the Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh is keen to captain the Indian side which is now on its all time high after their world cup win exactly two months back. But, his dream seems far from being relished when it has been only batsmen who are found to captain the side. However, the Kiwi captain Daniel Vettori becomes an exception. Or else, no other bowler seems to hold the tag.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The other side of the debate also has wicket keepers making good captains like Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Similarly there were quite a few players like Andy Flower and Moin Khan who captained their side as well as kept wickets. But, the lone sufferers have been the bowlers and of course fielders. But, with known fielders hardly available and no other name but Jonty Rhodes making it to the list, fielders can be kept out of the list. Of course, even Jonty Rhodes didn't captain the South African side. Another bowler who made it to the elite list was Shaun Pollock.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Or else, the names which captained their sides were Shahid Afridi, Andrew Struass, Dhoni, Chris Gayle etc who were all batsmen or rather all-rounders, Dhoni being a wicketkeeping allrounder. But, despite being successful bowlers, players like Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Javgal Srinath etc never got a chance to captain their side. There have been successful bowlers like Wasim Akram, Daniel Vettori, Imran Khan, Kapil Dev etc who have been successful captains. And someone like Sachin Tendulkar is the worst captain India has ever seen no matter how gr8 a batsman he is. With the trends showing no signs of reversing, the question left unanswered is whether </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-india-2011/content/story/517416.html">Harbhajan's dream</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> ever be relished</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-6488828334216724432011-05-31T05:45:00.000-07:002011-06-01T06:05:24.135-07:00No more blind slogging<span style="font-family: arial;">Well a person who had made news for the right as well as the wrong reasons has decided to call it a day when <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan/content/story/517271.html">yesterday</a> the Pakistani slogger-Shahid Afridi quits international cricket. This would mean most of the major cricketing websites would focus on his three fastest hundreds that came against three sub-continent nations namely Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh. But, speaking facts, Shahid Afridi's absence in the Pakistani batting line up should boost up their middle order for, Shahid Afridi is no way better than some Shoaib Akthar or any other tail end batsmen when it comes to batting.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">With so many beautiful shots out there like the cover-drive, the on-drive and much more, Shahid Afridi </span><del style="font-family: arial;">has</del><span style="font-family: arial;"> had only one shot-just blindly whip the bat and in case it makes contact with the ball you have six runs added to your credit. And, in case the ball nicks the edge of the bat, the slip fielder would be having one more catch to his credit and that is all. In that regard, Shahid Afridi is a batsman one of his kind. Even tail end batsmen would think a dozen times before going in for a shot unlike Shahid Afridi from Pakistan.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We can remember the Australian nightwatchman Jason Gillespie who got a double hundred against Bangladesh which is too much for his standard as a batsman. It was just the helplessness of the Pakistan Crickat Board (PCB) which hardly had any option but to crown Afridi as the Pakistani captain for the 2011 world cup. Afridi should consider himself to be lucky for, he was the captain of the Pakistan side which defeated Australia after their unbeaten 36 match streak and made it to the finals after Waqar Younis and Inzamam (who were better captains compared to Shahid Afridi) could not manage.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Irrespective of the situation his team was in, Shahid Afridi took no serious responsibility of his team and used to slog blindly. The three fastest hundreds out of his six centuries should be nothing but fluke. On the other hand, his bowling had a good amount of variation and used to deceive even the most awesome batsmen which saw him bag two five wicket hauls and an equal number of four wicket hauls in the recently concluded world cup. When most of his fans expected him to showcast his power with the bat, he kept them in suspense when his ball listened to him rather then his bat. </span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-36092575448768464462011-05-28T07:32:00.000-07:002011-05-31T06:19:56.279-07:00I will always put club before country:Gambhir<span style="font-family:arial;">Well with so much money and fame involved by being an Indian cricketer, anybody would like to become one. If one doe not get my idea clearly, then referring to Parthiv Patel, Sreesanth etc will prove worthy. One can easily guess why Sreesanth is famous for when his bowling has got nothing to do with the news what he makes for. It is not only these two but the entire lot of Indian cricketers who are bagging good money by featuring themselves in ads and playing in the IPL. No doubt that India won the ICC world cup this year by beating Sri Lanka.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But, more than just talent and support from their fans, it was the money that fascinated the Indian players to do something more for themselves keeping in mind the rewards they get in case they manage to do it big. Of course, that is obvious that everything needs an inspiration and with the Indian players enjoying such a kind of inspiration should not be underestimated for, they bought home something which no other team has been able to since the past 28 years. So has been the case some 4 years ago when the same team lifted the world T20 at South Africa.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It was only after he big money started after the team's victory in the world T20 that India started winning games when they won the Commonwealth Bank series in 2007/08 and a bilateral series against Pakistan. Now, </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india/content/story/516820.html">Gautam Gambhir</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> has preferred to lean towards his country rather than his club cricket despite his words speaking opposite from the actions what he has taken. A player who has pulled himself out of the tour to West Indies owing to a shoulder injury had no problems playing in the IPL. So was the case with Dhoni who wanted a break from cricket only after the IPL got over last year.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Last year as well after the IPL got over, most of the Indian players called themselves off from the triangular tour involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe which India failed to make it to the finals despite Zimbabwe being an easy target. India have to learn lessons from Australia who even after their world cup triumph in 2003 had their full fledged squad that toured the West Indies soon after. The list included all hit names like Glenn McGrath, Damien Martyn, Hayden etc who had every reason to take a break from cricket after playing for so long successfully. Even Sri Lanka fares better in this aspect.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-82659118837051760632011-05-25T07:21:00.000-07:002011-05-25T07:42:04.547-07:00Is Dhoni the new Ricky Ponting?<span style="font-family:arial;">Well </span><a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/indian-premier-league-2011/engine/match/501268.html"><span style="font-family:arial;">yesterday</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">, the Indian captain and to be more precise at present, the Chennai Superkings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is all set to take the stage in the finals of the Indian Premier League for the third time and second time in succession. Likewise, he is the only captain and his team is the only team (obviously) to have made it to the semi finals (qualifiers this time around) of an IPL. This was something that only Dhoni can boast of and nobody else. Dhoni has all reasons and his team all the odds to make it two in a row.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">With just four editions of the Indian Premier League gone and with ten teams at present to compete, there are teams in the waiting as well to gain atleast one such title. Dhoni on one side should be lucky to have beaten the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the right time when just a couple of days ago the same RCB destroyed the Chennai Superkings by 8 wickets. The venue hardly matters when the country is foreign to all non Indian players and local to players from India who have played in almost every venue that hosted matches in the IPL.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It was just more than a month ago that India-under the captaincy of the same Dhoni won the world cup at Wankhade stadium that set so many records and just 8 months ago that lifted the champions league trophy where they met the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the semi-finals like yesterday. Notable feathers in Dhoni's cap would be the inaugural edition of the world T20 at South Africa, runners-up in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League, winners in the 2010 IPL and finalists of the current edition of the IPL (which would see them may be as runners-up or winners).</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I can just correlate this feat of Dhoni's to the former Aussie captain-Ricky Ponting who has has many tournament wins against his name when he captained the Australian team since the retirement of Steve Waugh in 2002. Notable achievements of Ponting include the two major world cup titles in 2003 and 2007, two ICC champions trophies in 2006 and 2009, beating India (in India) 2-1 in the Border-Gavaskar trophy 2004, 5-0 whitewash of England in Ashes 2007 and finally winning 21 one dayers at a stretch and 16 consecutive test matches. This can rarely be paralleled but one can see a glimpse of the same in Dhoni.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-35130684817704536842011-05-24T06:12:00.001-07:002011-05-24T06:30:20.250-07:00Sri Lanka dare not to overstep<span style="font-family: arial;">Well if one side of the incident where a Sri Lankan team bus gets targeted by terrorists on March 1</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">st</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> 2009 makes us feel insecure, sometimes the same thing makes us laugh for the Sri Lankan team being so stupid to tour the trouble torn nation. No doubt that the match was heding towards a thrilling finish before the unexpected happened. This was one such situation where a match happened to be abandoned not due to rain or bad weather but due to terror attacks. The overall blame and responsibility totally lied on the Sri Lankan team for reasons mentioned above.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">There was absolutely no reason not only for Sri Lanka but for anybody who is scheduled to play in Pakistan at that time when the country was fresh from major terror attacks and warnings regarding the same. That was the time when all major cricketing nations pulled themselves back from their tours of Pakistan that included the likes of Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, England and the West Indies. It was India who were about to tour Pakistan and after the Mumbai attacks took place, India became the 6</span><sup style="font-family: arial;">th</sup><span style="font-family: arial;"> country to join the elite list who didn't want to risk their lives.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It was more than one year from the date the attack on the Sri Lankan team bus took place that all the aforementioned nations canceled their tour to Pakistan that Pakistan had stopped hosting cricket on its soil. That is one such record that only Pakistan alone can boast of. Of course, India's reason not to tour Pakistan was rivalry between the countries rather than security concerns in Pakistan. It was in that tour that India was replaced by Sri Lanka and the </span><del style="font-family: arial;">unexpected</del><span style="font-family: arial;"> expected took place at Lahore. Likewise, there has been egg throwing incidents in Australia when Muttiah Muralitharan happened to be a victim. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">But, that could have been forgiven and so would have been the LTTE blast near the team hotel when a triangular series involving Sri Lanka, India and South Africa was scheduled to take place. And, two years after the incident has taken place, once again concerns are raised regarding the security situation in Pakistan by the same team that witnessed live horror then. If anybody can go through the latest news about Pakistan, the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/srilanka/content/story/516342.html">Sri Lankan team</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> can look no further before deciding whether to or not to tour Pakistan. May be, if they do so, the players can never be given another chance to think.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-70948985510416474442011-05-15T09:32:00.000-07:002011-05-23T06:53:16.394-07:00Only the amount will tell<span style="font-family:arial;">Well I just can't figure out why anybody on earth has to justify himself when he has caused no harm to others in anyway and this happened recently when I read the </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/newzealand/content/story/515047.html">news</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> about New Zealand cricket denying any reports that suspects them to have forced the retired Sri Lankan off spinner Muttiah Muralitharaan to play for his country's domestic season where he would be turning up for Wellington. Once again it has to be stupid when Larsen says "Muralitharan loves touring New Zealand" . Why should that comment come in between his appointment and his love for the country?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When the Sri Lankan off spinner has called it a day from test cricket almost a year ago when he played against India and bid a farewell to the limited overs cricket once again against India in the finals at Mumbai, who has the right to ask the off spinner what he has decided to go about in his life after cricket? What better work does Muralitharan got to do after he has ended his international cricketing career? If at all he can do something now, it is play for some domestic teams and that to as long as his mind and body supports him.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">At present, Muralitharan is now spending his time playing for Kochi Tuskers Kerala with his contribution to his team and his fans not so important at the moment. I really do not have the patience to go through any major cricket sites to check out for how much the Sri Lankan off spinner signed. But, I can just guess that the amount that Muralitharan would be receiving from KTK would be fairly large compared to what the authorities of New Zealand cricket would have paid him to play for Wellington. When the Kochi team owners can declare their payment one has to wonder why not the NZC?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It is the matter of the past that Muttiah Muralitharan is the leading wicket taker in the world in both forms of the game. But, Muralitharan was never the match winner that he was in the recently concluded world cup in the sub-continent. Having signed up Muralitharan is as god as signing up someone else and for that one need not hide their anxiety and give lame excuses over his recruitment. How would it matter for how much has Muralitharan been signed for by NZC? By the way, the exact amount that Murali was signed for is not revealed. Has he been paid a bomb that the NZC is fear of drawing in criticism? Well this is just for the sake of curiosity.</span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7201573365481210414.post-71555304915540039402011-05-06T06:08:00.000-07:002011-05-23T06:32:05.173-07:00How does it matter who leads England<span style="font-family:arial;">Well the <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/513742.html">breaking news</a> is that England have named two different captains for two limited overs format of the game with Stuart Broad having to lead the side for T20 games while Alistair Cook will henceforth take care of England's one day games. Though this news hardly sparks of any sort of debate, people keeping their fingers crossed are just countable. At least as a cricket blogger, I have no other option but to shed some words regarding the selection or appointment. The tag "</span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://nopolicestate.net/">No Police State Girls blog</a><span style="font-family:arial;">" just doesn't seem to go too well with me whatsoever at this moment.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The result of the latest development in England cricket was due to the fact that their then captain Andrew Strauss wants to focus completely on his test career while Paul Collingwood has nothing to say about his T20 career. And, Paul Collingwood has every reason to justify himself when he bought home the country's first glory since decades of cricket that included failures, just misses and chokes. Collingwood's feat was achieved after England had three workld cup finals without a win along with an ICC champion's trophy that too ending up as runners-up. If South Africans would be reading this, they'd just breathe free.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The chokers tag is not totally restricted to South Africa alone and England also have an equal share in it. Coming to the point, one has to rather concentrate on the entire team of England which are in doldrums at present with their latest such thing evident in the world cup. England failed to win matches against Bangladesh and Ireland despite posting a stiff target of 327 on the board against the latter and having the opposition reeling at 111/5 at one stage. Of course, England were able to rarely regain and defend the Ashes on the previous two occasions but that is regarding their test cricket.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Right now, it has to be the entire England team and not just the captain alone whom the ECB needs to focus on. If not for their T20 win last year, England have gone back to their old ways of leaving things half way when they had just one T20 tournament against Pakistan and test series' against the same though which England won convincingly, their body language didn't speak for them. They beat both Pakistan and Australia with destiny favoring them by not having matches against other teams like Sri Lanka and India against whom their real myth is evaluated. </span>Pramukhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13529112287736793120noreply@blogger.com0