India-Sri Lanka in world cups..A review

With India set to play Sri Lanka in the final of the world cup, a look at the history between the two teams especially in world cup tournaments would be worth I suppose. If things are seen in the world cup tournaments that include the ICC champions trophy and the T20 world cups, Sri Lanka have been at the delivering end with India losing the plot on almost all occasions. The latest one being in the world T20 held at West Indies where Sri Lanka beat India to move to the semi-finals in West Indies. Of course, India had lost all games in that tournament.

A win against Sri Lanka for India would have been just a consolation after their loss to Australia and West Indies. Before that, India failed to get past the round robin stage of the last world cup after they lost to Sri Lanka and of course Bangladesh before that. Prior to the 2007 world cup, India had won a bilateral series against Sri Lanka at home 2-1 but could not repeat the same a month later. India have beaten Sri Lanka in world cups 2003 and 1999. This time it was India's turn to enjoy with them being responsible for Sri Lanka to go without a win against a major opposition in 1999.

In the 2003 world cup, it was after their win against Sri Lanka that India reached the semi-finals. But, India managed to win all three games in the super sixes which would not have made any difference. However, India's win over Sri Lanka in 1999 and 2003 didn't prove anything worth for India and Sri Lanka managed to reach the semis in 2003 despite being thrashed by India as mentioned. But, India's loss to Sri Lanka in 1996 and 2007 kept India totally out of the tournament. India's world cup campaign in 2007 lasted barely 2 weeks after they first lost to Bangladesh before losing to Sri Lanka.

India's win over Sri Lanka have just aided India's advancement to the next round or has been just another win. But, whenever India has lost to Sri Lanka, the match has made headlines. Previously India-Sri Lanka match in 1979 made headlines for India losing to a Sri Lankan team which was until then not been granted test status. India and Sri Lanka were set to play the finals of the ICC champions trophy 2002 which was abandoned with just one innings possible when rain interrupted the game twice. Since then, India has never played Sri Lanka in an ICC champions trophy. But, things need not be the same this time for both teams.

Well its time to check out some forex trading stuff before the finals.

Is Mohali (India) the right venue to host semis?

Well as an Indian and an avid cricket fan, I am also eagerly looking forward to the fifth India-Pakistan match in world cups (barring T20 world cups and ICC champions trophies). This will be the second time Pakistan will have to tour India to play a match against the hosts after the famous 1996 world cup quarter finals played at Bangalore which was Javed Miandad's last show on the international stage. Needless to be said, India won that battle by 39 runs despite a threatening start from the Pakistani openers namely Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail who saw Pakistan reach 113/1 after 13 overs.

Anyway, that is history and then things were not that serious as is the case now. Things were not anticipated then in the match at Bangalore, with India winning the match unlike what happened in the semi-finals against Sri Lanka at the Eden Gardens. Now, Pakistan is once again cursed to tour the venue which he last prefers to. So would be the case for India, for whom the ghosts of the 1996 semi-finals might haunt again in case they give a sign a being defeated. This has happened earlier in a tri nation tournament with Pakistan having a high upper hand and people start hurling bottles on Pakistan players.

Luckily for captains of both teams, there was no India-Pakistan match until 1992 which averted something similar in 1987. In 1996, though there was nothing unexpected in the quarter-finals at Bangalore, what happened in the semi-finals was nothing compared to what would have happened had India won that semi-finals against Sri Lanka. The finals of the 1996 world cup was held at Lahore which might have made the then India captain Mohammed Azharuddin think many times before winning the semis. Anything might have happened had India toured Pakistan for the finals in case India managed to do so. Though this was not the reason for the defeat, it cannot be completely ruled out.

Since then, Pakistan has never been a venue for any world cup tournaments be it the world cup, the T20 world cup or the ICC champions trophy. Pakistan has been canceled to host an ICC champions trophy in 2008, which was canceled completely with the ICC not deciding on the venue to host the tournament that year. And then, this time Pakistan was denied to host any matches of the ongoing world cup which would have made Indians smile to a greater extent compared to other countries. Afridi may just think upon going back to Pakistan rather than be the target for bottles and paper rockets gifted by angry fans for having his team trounce India.

One can just see paint colors in Afridi's face with dilemma whether to go in for the kill or save his life from people's anger.

No choker, only inefficient tag

I don't think the chokers tag is well suited for South Africa since the 2003 world cup when they were hardly the team that anybody would have wanted to beat. I can still remember the then South African captain-Shaun Pollock being given an over short in their 1^st game against West Indies which was solely South Africa's fault for maintaining a slow over rate bowling first. And then there was the match against New Zealand where though South Africa managed a satisfactory 307 provided by Herschelle Gibbs, Stephen Fleming's men also had equal zest in them to fight it out on the field.

New Zealand were given a revised target of 229 runs from 39 overs which was still over run a ball. All odds supported New Zealand despite South Africa having scored a 300+ total for, the Kiwis lost just one wicket en route to their successful run chase. The last was the game against Sri Lanka where a wrong signal from the stands ended the match in a draw and with it the South African dream not only in the world cup but also to reach the super sixes. Sri Lanka did their part of the game best by not relying on their wins against West Indies and New Zealand alone.

Atapattu did a fab job scoring 124* from 118 balls showing equal fight rather than just being a team that would cash out from the bad luck that the Proteas are believed to be cursed with. So was the case in 2007 when South Africans were far from being the favorites. With a miserable loss to Australia twice that included a complete surrender to Glenn McGrath in the semi-finals and New Zealand along with a clueless loss to Bangladesh, it was lack of the presence of India and Pakistan that saw South Africa in the semi-finals. I just cannot tell you My view on anything and everything under the sun.

The South Africans were favorites to win the cup only in the 1996 and 1999 editions where they had beaten all opponents in the league stages until they lost the plot in the knock out games against West Indies and Australia. This time, the South Africans have to consider themselves lucky to have ended up as the top team beating India and West Indies. A loss against England chasing 173 cannot be justified and neither can the loss yesterday against the Kiwis with the likes of Smith, deVilliars and Kallis. South Africa are gifted with the most promising squad even better than Sri Lanka and India. But, lack of commitment needs a heavy payment.

The 1996 Indian fortune

Well the last time the world cup was held in the sub continent was in 1996 needless to be said and the cup should have been something special for India which included the highest wicket taker and the highest run getter in the tournament when Anil Kumble took 15 wickets and Sachin Tendulkar scored 523 runs. Another interesting fact is that they not only beat arch rivals Pakistan but also expelled them from the world cup after a thumping 39 run triumph against the sub-continent nation. Finally the semi-finals at Eden Gardens against Sri Lanka is worth mentioning which turned out to be a match which yielded no result.

Another interesting fact would be that India never toured any other country despite Pakistan and Sri Lanka being the co-hosts. India started off with their first match against Kenya at Cuttack followed by their match against West Indies at Gwalior. Then, the third match against Australia was played at Mumbai with the fourth against Sri Lanka played at Firozshah Kotla stadium Delhi. Last but not the least the match against Zimbabwe was played at Kanpur. The remaining two matches namely the quarter-finals against Pakistan and semi-finals against Sri Lanka was played at Kolkata (then Calcutta). That was the end of the tournament for India.

Nothing can be done regarding the pool matches which were scheduled in India whenever India was playing. Perhaps! Had the India-Sri Lanka league stage match been held somewhere in Colombo, may be Sri Lanka would have walked away with another win without having had to take to the crease like it happened in the matches between West Indies and Australia against Sri Lanka. Even the league stage matches might have been held either in Pakistan or Sri Lanka and God knows what made the ICC go in for only Indian pitches when Sri Lanka and Pakistan were made to cross the border. For a change, I thinking about nurse's thoughts.

Pakistan played India in Bangalore and Sri Lanka in Delhi and Kolkata. Even the league stage matches for Pakistan were played in Pakistan until the quarter-finals. But, take a look at destiny. India could have qualified in the 4^th place which would have seen it play a team in Karachi which eventually witnessed the biggest upset of the world cup-the West Indies-South Africa match. Likewise, had India emerged on the top, they would have played England in Faisalabad. However, with both semi-finals being held in India, there was no chance for India to move out of the country. Had India qualified to the finals, then, they would have had to tour Pakistan for the match was held in Lahore.

Holland a nightmare for England?

The Netherlands have always known to be a nightmare for England since the two teams first met in the league stages of the world cup in 1996 held in the sub continent. That was the match where England won the match by just 49 runs as against the expectation of more than a 100 run margin. In that particular match, England scored just 279 runs which was way behind keeping in mind the opposition they were facing and what was expected out of them. Though the total of 279 was a decent in those days, as mentioned above the opposition also matters a lot.

Netherlands winded up with 230 on the board losing just 6 wickets en route to the same when demands asked England to get all ten wickets from the Netherlands' side. At the end, as the saying goes "all is well that ends well", England got away with Graeme Hick being awarded the man of the match award unlike what happened yesterday against the same opposition when the man of the match was awarded to RN ten Doeschate for his contribution with both the bat as well as with the ball. That match saw two batsmen from Holland score half centuries.

Their next meeting was in the 2003 world cup which England did win but once again it was the margin that mattered and England once again lacked that when they lost 4 wickets en route to their successful run chase of 144. That can be considered a decent run but something that can never be forgiven would be their next meeting in the world T20 2009 played in England where England enjoyed being the hosts. England became the first test playing nation to have lost to a non test playing nation in a T20 world cup. Of course, if Bangladesh is considered as a test playing nation, they have lost to Ireland.

That was the 1^st match of the tournament and what a start it was for the big event! Now, coming to yesterday's match, England had almost lost its way before they realized what to do and undid what India failed four years back in the game against Bangladesh. It would have been another disappointment had Holland won that match for, that would make England's chances of entering the quarter finals considering they lose to India and South Africa. One has to indeed appreciate the efforts of RN ten Doeschate who shone with the bat first scoring a hundred and topping the bowling charts by scalping 2 wickets.

Let us meet tomorrow and yes, if you want to Copy Ipod Music wait for the world cup to get over so that you don't do what England has seen doing yesterday.

Vacancy for a coach filled by Bangladesh

Well until now, the problem with Bangladesh cricket was that it could not find decent cricketers and now, even the vacancy for a coach has been a far from reality for the Bangladesh cricket Board. Nevermind that Bangladesh have been able to get a decent coach in Dav Whatmore who was the coach of the Sri Lankan team that won the world cup in 1996. Not only did Sri Lanka win the world cup in 1996, but also the Sri Lankan team ended up their world cup campaign without losing a single match in that edition. of course, there were two matches against Australia and West Indies which were forfeited.

Anyways, with that being a different issue altogether, coming to the subject of Bangladesh coach, all that can be concluded is that Bangladesh have successfully filled the void rather than looking out for a successful coach. At the same time, Bangladesh cricket board have made the name of the Essex fast bowler - Ian Pont be known to the entire world which was until then known only to England or may be only to Essex. This should not be a problem for players like Andy Flower and Tom Moody have been seen coaching the England and Sri Lankan team despite one coming from Zimbabwe and the other a lesser known Aussie.

However, Bangladesh deserve not to have a coach for, they were seen showing off their ego when they turned down the offer by the former West Indian fast bowler Colin Croft for his lack of experience as a coach. One has to check out the caliber of the present Bangladeshi coach - Ian Pont as to how successful has he been as a coach. Adding to that, Andrew Caddick was also not offered the job, but this time for better reasons that Andy had business interests at home. Likewise, Venkatesh Prasad was also in the line for the job but didn't happen to be so for reasons best known to him alone.

Now, the million dollar question is that can Bangladesh team benefit from the Essex player who will henceforth be coaching the national side? This is no real estate blog to define the returns but, as a cricket blogger, it would be worth citing the advance of Bangladesh team to the super eights of the world cup in 2007 though it would be more precise to say that India helped Bangladesh to advance further. And, the Kenyan team made it to the semis in 2003 once again at the cost of New Zealand when the Kenyan coach happened to be Sandip Patil - the one who coached India in 1996 world cup.

A ray-of hope for sub continent

It was way back in 1996 that a country from the sun continent made it to one of the mega events in cricket, when U.A.E made it to the wills World cup in 1996 and was placed in Group B along with Holland, Pakistan, England, New Zealand and South Africa. Since then, no other nation from the Asian continent has been able to make it to the world cup- be it the ICC Champions Trophy that is held once in 2 years or the world T20 which is also scheduled with the same gap inbetween. Bangladesh-a team also from the sub continent made it to the world cup in 1999, and has since then been a regular part of international cricket.

Bangladesh differs from the other teams, for one-it has been given a test status by the ICC and two for the fact that they have been playing international cricket more regularly unlike the other teams whose presence is felt only in the major events. There have been teams like Hong Kong & UAE who also belong to the Asian continent but have not featured in any of the ICC sponsored events since 1996 after UAE made its appearance as mentioned above. Hong Kong has played two Asia cups in 2004 and 2008. If not, no other Asian teams have even made news otherwise as well.

If the remaining 5 continents are considered, there is the African continent who has seen teams like East Africa who made an appearance in the 1979 Prudential cup and then there was Zimbabwe-who even enjoyed a decade long unsuccessful test run, followed by Kenya who have been playing in the mega tournaments since 1996 and last Namibia who gave a guest appearance in the 2003 world cup played at South Africa. Of course, the Australian continent that consists of only Australia as a country has to be left out of the discussion. The highest contribution is seen from Europe, which has seen countries like Scotland, Ireland, Netherlands and Bermuda.

The fact is also that the countries that have been facing humiliating defeats have been from the European continent. It was Scotland in the 1999 world cup and Holland in the 1996 world that went without a victory in those tournaments. Then, Bermuda in 2007 lost all three games and recorded for the highest team total conceded when India scored 413 runs in the league stage of the same. The American continent has three nations in Canada, West Indies and USA who have featured in the ICC's mega tournaments. Now, after Afghanistan made it to the world T20 due in Caribbean in April this year, it can be considered to be another feather in the Asian continent's cap, taking the total number of countries from the continent to 6.

The Advent of Bangladesh Cricket

It was not too long ago that teams were found taking not only Bangladesh team for granted but also whenever they played against a minnow team. And most of the teams in the world have paid the price for for underestimating minnow teams like Kenya, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Ireland. But, until recently, it was the latter team's loss rather than the win what the minnows can be contented with. It was the West Indies' team that took Kenya for granted in the 1996 world cup for which the West Indies had to pay the price by losing the match by 66 runs.

This was followed by India's loss to Zimbabwe in the league stages of the ICC world cup in 1999 for which India had to pay a price when India found itself in a situation that demanded all three matches to be won in the super sixes that involved matches against Australia, Pakistan and New Zealand which obviously didn't happen and India had to give a grand exit from the world cup. India have otherwise also lost to Kenya, which was inconsequential. But, paid a heavy price in the 2007 world cup when a loss against Bangladesh forced them to end their world cup dreams. So was the case with Pakistan after its loss to Ireland.

However, that apart, if the recent past of Bangladesh cricket is given a close look at, Bangladesh are found taking the opposition for a ride. This is quite evident from the fact that Bangladesh ended up scoring 260, 296 and 249 respectively in the matches that it has played against India and Sri Lanka. Though Bangladesh have lost all these games, they have gained a much better caliber which can make the opposition captain think twice before getting carried away by their past performances. India was found losing 3 quick wickets for 67 runs in the first encounter against Bangladesh. And all these not by the opposition underestimating Bangladesh.

It would not be wrong to say that Bangladesh are the top team when minnows are given a special consideration. They have beaten other minnows like Ireland, Kenya, Zimbabwe etc more than they have lost to these teams. Though their test series victory against West Indies is not convincing, it can be considered to be another feather in the Bangladeshi cap. South Africa were no match on that particular day when Bangladesh beat them by 67 runs in the world cup 2007 super eight tournament. Bangladesh and Zimbabwe have been the teams against which the opposition captain doesn't think twice before imposing a follow on. But, this could not be the case anymore if Bangladesh continue doing the good work.

So, with the advent of Bangladesh cricket, the world can see yet another team making serious attempts to take the game of cricket forward.

Sanath Jayasuriya Pushing Himself Towards the 2011 WC

Well it was thought to be all over for the veteran Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya after the 2007 world cup that was held in the Caribbean. However, Sanath Jayasuriya had different plans one can suppose, which is evident from the fact that Sanath Jayasuriya is found taking to the crease even today for Sri Lanka. Aged close to 40, fans have already given it up one can guess. And what can and what will anyone expect from a 40 year old when he had made it to the record books for the wrong reasons when he became the batsman to have scored most ducks in ODI?

Yes, Sanath Jayasuriya has the maximum number of ducks in one day cricket at 34 ducks out of the 444 matches that he has played. Just a couple of months ago, Sanath Jayasuriya had given the world a hint that he would be playing in the 2011 world cup despite his age being close to 42 then. Nevermind, that Sanath Jayasuriya is one of the most entertaining batsman the world has ever seen. In fact, it was Sanath Jayasuriya who started with the big hitting especially in the 1996 world cup in that particular game against England in the world up quarter finals at Faisalabad where Sanath Jayasuriya scored a 44 ball 82.

However, if his recent performance is given a close look at, Sanath Jayasuriya is found to be just waiting for the 2011 world cup that is scheduled in the sub continent so that, Sanath Jayasuriya can bid adieu to all forms of cricket I suppose. His test career ended in December 2007 after the second test against England-which is a memorable one for Sri Lanka that saw Muttiah Muralitharan becoming the world's highest wicket taker in tests surpassing Shane Warne. Even that match can be considered a memorable one for Jayasuriya when he scored 6 consecutive fours off James Anderson at Kandy.

In the recent past, the Sri Lankan captain had a little bit of hesitation in including Sanath Jayasuriya for the games against India. And moreover, Jayasuriya didn't even look to be a decent fit for the openers' slot despite doing a fair job for Sri Lanka in that position since decades. And moreover, Sanath Jayasuriya's place in the squad was not justified not only in the series against India but also prior to that. All these despite him being at the second position number 2 when it comes to the number of ODIs played, number of hundreds scored and the number of runs scored in ODIs.Finally, it would not be a surprise even if Sanath Jayasuriya continue to play T20 cricket until the age of 50.