Sir Viv’s record ground to Ashes, Ganguly back again

So, what’s happening in the cricketing world that is new? India is getting thrashed in South Africa and Nirmal Shekar writes about dishonourable defeats here. Australia beat England, again (will the second test be any different? A better fight, definitely), Ponting scored a century, a deposed Indian captain was brought back a la Azhar and Mohammed Yousuf scored more runs.

The Ashes

Australia beat England as expected in the Gabba test. McGrath and Warne causing havoc in the English line-up and Ponting scoring more runs against the poms, were delivered as predicted. Pietersen played a stellar role in the show of spine in the second innings and delayed the inevitable. 1-0 to Australia.

The lack of form of Hayden and the batting failure of Gilchrist must worry the Australians a little. But service as usual, is expected to resume from these guys in the rest of the series.The batting of Collingwood and Pietersen was the highlight for England. The bowling lacked bite, with the exception of Flintoff. And playing Giles in the place of Panesar was a strange move by the team management. Panesar is not the most athletic of fielders (neither is Giles) or the Gillespie of tail-end batsmen, but he is a wonderful bowler. Old world flight and teasing the batsmen and deceiving them into making that fatal mistake, this lovable sardar should be playing.

England also need the other pacemen to bowl a better line and length and ensure that the Australians don’t score so freely. This was the recipe for success in the previous Ashes and no reason why it shouldn’t be the same again.  Day 1 of test 2 has gone well for them. Let us hope for a good contest.

‘Dada’ is back

Sourav Ganguly is not an easy man to forget. And the selectors have added another chapter to the Ganguly saga by bringing him back to the test side. Yes, the test side.I was quite surprised too. His test record isn’t really impressive and the reason he struggled so much was the short stuff dealt out in copious amounts by bowlers around the world. But the ineptitude of the current Indian line-up has left the selectors with no choice. There seem to be very few batsmen in the reckoning and those who have been tried have failed miserably. Wonder what happened to that boy Rayudu.

So, as is the wont of the selection committee, they have decided to make inexplicable changes. They hope that the experience and the grit that Ganguly possesses in ample quantities will save the day. Is this a retrograde move? Well, he was dropped for lack of batting performance and considering he seems to have played very little cricket after that, I don’t know what the basis of this selection was. The selectors made 2 recalls in the last month. I think Kumble deserved to be back and Ganguly should probably get a look into the one-day side and not the test one.

Indian cricket is pretty much back to where it was almost a year back. The batting is faltering in any condition where the ball bounces above the knee level, the much-vaunted youngsters are struggling after the initial honeymoon period, Sehwag is still hunting for consistency, people are wondering if Sachin has any more good years in him, Greg Chappell is going to face the heat. With Ganguly back, wonder how much longer Greg will continue. The bright spot is the return to form of Zaheer Khan. He is a good bowler and it is good to see him opening the bowling.

Is Dravid’s stint as captain over? Can this team pull it back? Dravid’s stint is not over primarily because there is no one to replace him. The selectors would love to get him out of the seat, I bet but then who would you put there? And can this team pull it back? I don’t see too much happening on this tour. There will the usual hundreds from Laxman, Sachin and the ever-reliable Dravid. But if we can’t bat more than two days, there really is no hope. This series is going to be one more drubbing for the Indians in South Africa. Welcome to the real world.

The good Christian

He might no longer be the good Christian, he might claim that Islam is what is bringing him the runs but cricket lovers around the world couldn’t care less. A record that stood for 20 years has been bested. Over 1750 runs in a calendar year with 9 hundreds, how many bet that it would be Mohammed Yousuf who would do this? This space has always maintained that Yousuf is a special batsman and he is showing us how much. Everybody knew he was talented and had the temperament to play long innings. But the consistency was missing in the game. He has now found his focus and the footwork and every shot in the book has fallen into place. Along with Ponting and Dravid, he has been among the most consistent batsmen for sometime now. It is good to see such a good batsman succeed.

A run-making machine that has ground to dust Sir Viv’s record, congratulations Yousuf. We care neigh why you bat so well. Just continue playing this for another year, maybe a little more attractively (?).

- Prof

Technorati Tags: Nirmal+Shekar Vivian+Richards Sourav+Ganguly Mohammed+Yousuf Ashes Rayudu

The genius

This week is seeing a few wonderful batting efforts. There is Kallis’ century in the second ODI, Ponting’s in the Ashes war, Mohammad Yousuf against the West Indies and that brilliant double century by Lara against Pakistan. Each of these players is special but most so, Lara. The first time I remember watching B.C. Lara was at the 1992 Australian triseries involving India, Australia and West Indies. I didn’t think I was watching a special player.

It was after the 1996 World Cup that I started watching Lara without comparing him to Sachin at every instance and I discovered the most destructive batsman of our times. Lara is a genius and it is hard to explain how it operates. He could be McGrath’s bunny a million times; he could infuriate you with his golf trips and cancelled tours. But on his day he makes runs in a fashion that totally demoralizes the opposition. There have been more consistent men, more elegant batsmen, guys with more power and precision. But few men strike as much fear in the hearts of opposition players. He starts off shakily but once set, he bats with so much power- full blooded cover drives, hooks, pulls and the softest of leg glances. He loves big centuries and the rate at which he scores makes his innings’ match winning ones. The number of over 150 scores stands testament to this.

Memorable Series’
West Indies started the 1998/99 Frank Worrell trophy disastrously, being skittled out for 51 in the second innings of the Port of Spain test. McGrath and Gillespie were tormenting the Carribeans before Lara decided he had had enough of being beaten by mere men. In typical Lara fashion, he came out and collared the bowling. Out came the powerful square drive, played behind point, the stinging cover and the straight drive and the horizontal bat shots. A single man, battling one of the greatest teams in history. It was a sight to watch and Lara came out of the battle, proving his critics wrong and showing the world what test cricket was all about: grit and class. He ended up with scores of 213, 8, 153 not out and 100. (The 153 not out was in fact voted the second greatest test innings ever played behind the Don’s 270 against England)

The other series that is etched in memory, is the tour in Sri Lanka. What a mouth watering prospect, Murali versus Lara. An off-spinner against a southpaw, a dubious genius against a flawed one. Lara was coming off a long lay-off and he came straight out into the series and made over 500 runs at an average of 100. After finally mastering the sub-continent, he has nothing more to prove as a batsman: runs around the world, no bowler unscathed, centuries you lost count of.

Contribution to Caribbean cricket

Watching Lara over the years, I have come to believe, if he had statistics in his mind, he would have every record (except the average) under his belt. But genius is mercurial. He has thrown his tantrums, had his lean patches but Caribbean cricket owes a lot to this man. He has been the pillar, which has ensured that the structure has not collapsed. He has saved many a series. He has matured and become a leader who understands the limitations of his men and grooms the talent he has. Would he have made more runs in an Australian team? Would he have a higher average and more test records? Who knows? But this much is certain, cricket in the West Indies needed him the last decade and he has battled on, a lone warrior: A man who knows that his colleagues might not be able to deliver, a man who knows his best efforts are probably doomed, a Marlon Brando in a school anniversary play and for this, I respect this genius even more.

There is not much time left in this career. With a few exciting players under him and a rapidly improving team, it would be fitting to see him end his career in the Carribean, holding aloft the World Cup trophy.

- Prof

 

Technorati Tags: Lara, Cricket, Tendulkar

The Ashes 2006: The Last Preview

By the time you’ll be reading this article, it is possible that the coin would have been tossed beside a fast bouncy pitch at Gabba, and after endless hype, buzz, debates, jibes and so on, the oldest battle in this glorious sport would be on once more. Nearly all the hype that’s been generated is thanks to the edge-of-the-seat thriller that the two teams put on last year, where even the drawn matches had more twists in plot than anything Hitchcock could have conjured. And if the two teams manage to come up with a similar show this time around, statisticians world over will start having to make major changes to the Law of Averages.

Speaking of statisticians, let’s take a look at what the predictions are for this time around. And what better place to check out, than the various betting sites. And in spite of all the hoopla about how this series is going to be a closely fought one, and so on, everyone from ladbrokes to bet365 agree that Australia are firm favourites. So, if you’re a Barmy-Army types and really believe in England’s chances of winning this series, go ahead and bet on it, there’s quite some money to be made. One cannot really blame the bookies for having made such skewed predictions.

Apart from all the standard reasons like home advantage, world class performers (however old they may be, they are proven), etc. the way the England team has performed in the three tour matches, have only confirmed the bookies’ beliefs. First they got thulped by the Prime Minister’s XI, where the margin of loss was not just insulting, but you also had their ‘upcoming hopes’ like Saj Mahmood go for 10+ runs per over, and you had Phil Jacques, who not until long ago was a British passport holder, cream the English attack all over the Australian capital. Next, they played a 3 day match against NSW at Sydney, where in spite of a sparkling century by Kevin Pietersen, they could not grab the first innings lead, even. Their last practice match was another 3-day affair, against South Australia this time, and though the batting further improved (with Ian Bell cashing in this time, probably to no avail as Jamie Anderson later took a jab at his tender wrists in the nets mostly putting paid to his chances of playing in the first test), but the bowling remained as clueless as ever, with Saj Mahmood’s getting his economy down to around 6 this time considering it was a test match and all.

Given this state of affairs, I don’t give England much of a chance, at least not in the first two tests. But then the English being English, and the Ashes being the Ashes, and me being a lover of good cricket; I predict there is going to be something is going to give at the exceptionally bouncy WACA pitch; an inspired Flintoff spell; Pietersen, who never gives a damn about pitch conditions anyway, taking a liking to the hook shot that sails over the long leg fence; and voila!, the next two matches in the series will again attract record viewership, cricket will make the front pages again, and this blog will be back with more colorful predictions. Until then, I’ll at least have the smug satisfaction of having got the last word in before the Ashes took off.This blog is after all, the last word for all things sport.

- Thejaswi Udupa

(This guest writer is a management student in Bangalore. He is a well known quizzer and was the youngest semi-finalist at Mastermind India. He will be reviewing the Ashes again after the second test)

Predictions

Thejaswi: 3-1 to Australia

Z: 3-1 to Australia

Prof: 3-1 to Australia

What do you think? Let us know.

Technorati Tags: Cricket, Ashes, Australia, England,

The Ranji Trophy “Cup” and the Duleep Trophy “Cup”

So yet another Duleep Trophy final seems to be headed to a dreary draw, with North Zone showing no signs of “showing mercy” on the Lankans and allowing them to bat again. For they know that they don’t need to win the game to win the trophy – the first innings lead will do.With domestic competitions largely consisting of four-day matches, the powers-that-were decided that in case of drawn ties in knock-out matches of domestic tournaments the first innings lead would prove to be the tie-breaker. And this “rule” seems to be a good reason for the rot that has set in to Indian domestic cricket and a large number of batsmen with obscene domestic averages failing miserably at the international level.

What the first innings rule has effectively achieved is to convert two-innings matches to one-innings matches! Result being that teams don’t try to win the game anymore – just gaining the first innings lead will do. The bowlers don’t need to take twenty wickets to win a game – they only need ten. And on the featherbed wickets, batsmen can afford to play on as long as they wish (score triple centuries and boosting averages) and there is no compulsion to work towards a result!

Another fallout of this rule is that there is no incentive for groundsmen to prepare balanced wickets and they can easily get away with a wicket full of runs – once again leaving a huge gap between domestic and international standards. There have been numerous calls to prepare sporting pitches for the domestic matches at least, but why would the groundsmen take the pains to prepare one?

Actually, a fair bit of progress has been made in this direction, with the new format of the Ranji trophy keeping knockout matches to a minimum. What this also means is that we could experiment with a new format of knockout which encourages teams to produce results, rather than deciding games on first innings leads.

In the FA Cup football tournament in England, in case of a draw, the match is replayed and in case of a further deadlock, extra time and penalty shootouts decide the matter. Given the small number of knockout matches (3 Ranji Elite, 3 Ranji Plate and 1 Duleep), we could experiment with the same home-and-away format, with a bowlout to decide the deadlock! For example, suppose the Ranji Semifinal between Baroda and UP at Vadodara ends in a draw, with Baroda failing to capitalize on a 200-run first innings lead. Instead of awarding the tie to Baroda, the match will be replayed in say Kanpur. In case of a deadlock there also, a bowlout will decide. For the finals maybe we could have a single leg in a neutral venue followed by a bowlout if necessary.

For a start this new format will give due respect to the true format of the five-day game – that you must dismiss the opposition twice to get a result. It will lead to teams trying for a win, and thus “normalize” the averages of a large number of “tigers at home”. Sporting wickets will be prepared, thus enabling us to look at a batsman’s “true colors” before calling him for international duty. Also, result-oriented matches means enhancement of spectators’ interests, and I am sure our domestic matches could use some crowds. And a chance to play more matches might mean more money for the board!

Another important thing to be kept in mind is that there should be absolutely no incentive for just a first innings lead. A draw is a draw is a draw. Right now a team gets 2 points in the Ranji league for a first innings lead, with the team that conceded the lead getting none. Both should be awarded a point apiece.

I am sure such a move will be really good for the game, and will help produce better cricket at all levels. It is left to be seen if the board will move in this direction, or continue to sleep and get rich as it has been doing over the years.

- Karthik S a.k.a. Wimpy

(a senior of mine and a good quizzer. Read his blog at http://skthewimp.livejournal.com/ )

A few old men.

In my previous post I had briefly mentioned the fact that there was reason to hope that Australia’s dominance is going to come to an end because of an aging team. I simply had no idea how old this team actually is!

Matthew Hayden -35, Justin Langer- 36
Stuart McGill- 35, Damien Martyn-35
Shane Warne-37, Adam Gilchrist-35
Glenn McGrath-36 Even Brett Lee is now 30!

What is going to be interesting to see is how the Australians cope when all these men retire within a year or two of each other. The entire team will have to be changed. And I don’t see the talent rushing through.

I am sick of seeing the Aussies dominating world cricket. And what truly makes me happy is the fact that McGrath and Warne wont last much longer. They are brilliant cricketers but they are also the main reason why Australia have been so dominant over the last 5 years. Say what you want about the rest of the team, but these two men ensured that every time the Australians stepped on the field they had a genuine chance of getting 20 wickets against any batting line up on any pitch. And with a combined total of 1200+ test wickets they did just that.

It will be sad to see Gilchrist go though. Its always fun to watch him bat (except when he is hammering the Indian bowling) and he has been a great ambassador (one of the few) for Australian cricket. And the great thing with Gilchrist has been that Australia have had a genuine top class batsman at no. 7 for quite some time (he averages over 50 for crying out loud, to put that in perspective- Ganguly averaged in the low 40s throughout his career). His loss is going to hit the team hard. And the Australians (surprisingly) haven’t done enough to find a replacement.

It’s interesting how different Australia’s policies are from the rest of the world. Someone like Mike Hussey (who is 31 himself) has taken ages to establish get into the squad and can now easily hold his own for the next 5-6 years. I don’t think any of the sub-continent teams will pick a new batsman at that age! The fact is that the bar for retirement age has now been raised by at least 3 years to 36-37. Enough of blooding youngsters, maybe the lesson is that the Indian board need to start valuing experience and understand that 28-30 is not too old to blood a cricketer.
Z

Ponting, Pawar and wagging fingers

“… To begin with, as the closing ceremony drew to a close, Ricky Ponting waved his fingers at BCCI president Sharad Pawar, signalling him to come and hand over the winners’ trophy. It may or may not have been in jest but Pawar had the decency to just laugh and ask Ponting to step forward instead to complete the formalities.

But the story didn’t end there. As the Aussies celebrated exuberantly, the stage was set for the victory photograph. However, even as the players were taking positions for the cameras, Damien Martyn tapped at Pawar - who happened to be standing there - and literally pushed him out of the stage. Pawar walked away quietly, not showing any hurt or anger. …”

Source: India Times

Ponting seems to seek out controversy. Or does controversy dog him? I think it is the former. He is competitive and loves to be aggressive but he seems to take it too far on many occasions.

The Aussies deserve admiration for their talent and single-mindedness in seeking victory. But that is where it ends. These are the kind of guys I wouldn’t want to know after the game is over, not if their hyper-competitiveness is carried over.

Sledging including racial abuse is common from the Aussie side. They have even gone on to indicate that it is perfectly legitimate to sledge/insult the opponent: after all it is a man’s game!!! Mind games starting with press confereneces before tours is fine but when you get on the field and need to talk about a guy’s skin colour or his mother or sister, you have lost my respect.

In the context of past behaviour, do I think that Ponting and Martyn had no idea that what they were doing was offensive? Hell, no. They knew perfectly well that it was insulting. While these ceremonies are long and boring, this is not the way civilized people are expected to behave.

Yes, talent is allowed some liberties but this is taking it too far Mr. Ponting and Mr. Martyn. Don’t make me say, well we all know who was sent to Australia earlier… how do we expect civilization?

Prof

The Usual Suspects.

Well, it was Malaysia all over again. After pulling off a stunning upset in the league matches, the Carribean batting order collapsed in the final. (they lost the last 8 wickets for just 58, somehow they keep pulling this off!). And the Australians emerged champions. Full credit to them. Guys like Bracken put their hands up and deliver in the big games. Something, that is sorely lacking with the other teams.

Ultimately, the tournament turned out to be a damp squib. Poor pitches and poor crowds played a huge role in this. And the tournament should have been spread through the country to ensure better crowds. Somehow, I get the feeling that the 2007 World Cup is going to be no better. And the television ratings are going to take a massive nosedive if the Indians don’t do well. (maybe the Carribeans should prepare pitches suiting our style!)

There were a couple of good games in the tournament but largely the games were one-sided affairs. After a couple of hiccups, the Australians were back on top again. And it is not good for cricket. One team (or an individual) dominating a sport is never a good thing. As much as you can admire their brilliance, skill and athleticism, one of the biggest attractions of sport is the sheer thrill of watching a great contest unfold.

Barring the two India-Australia test series and the Ashes, no team has been able to match the Australians over an extended period of time. The South Africans manage to beat every team and yet find it hard to even compete against the Australians. The Indian team somehow finds itself in transition again. The West Indies are too inconsistent for their own good. Thanks to injuries and some pathetic one-day form England have not been able to build on their Ashes success. The Lankans find it hard to compete outside the subcontinent (and the Oval).

The good news? This Australian team is old!

Shoaib and Asif Banned.

From Cricinfo:

Shoaib Akhtar has been banned from cricket for two years and Mohammad Asif for one, after being found guilty by the Pakistan Cricket Board of using the banned substance, nandrolone.

Both men declined the offer of a retest on their B samples, which implied that they did not question the results.

I am rather surprised that the Pakistani Cricket board has actually gone ahead and banned both these gentlemen but why does Asif get away with a one year term?

Martyn comes through, England humiliated

England lost, again.

I am not surprised at all. Frankly, they are quite a lousy one-day team. Other than Straus, Flintoff and Pieterson occasionally, nobody comes through when it matters. And, this loss today efectively ends their touranment (I think). It is a vicious cycle: the play lesser one-day cricket than other leading international teams, they are more rusty when they turn up and lose early, they play lesser cricket. Thankfully for them, there are few knockout tournaments.

Australia is back. They are still the best in the business. The Indian conditions might not suit them best and they might have lost to a rapidly improving WestIndian team. But, they are good and one of their classiest players came through today. Damien Martyn in flow is a sight to watch: his off-side play is as good as Ganguly’s, almost and he is the most graceful Aussie to play after the retirement of Mark “The forgotten” Waugh. He came through today and helped beat the English, how can anyone not beat them?!!!

But, this Australian team is going to have to work hard to retain the World Cup. Gilchrist needs to fire and players like Andrew Symonds needs to chip in.

And this tournament is going to be good fun to watch. Cheers, to some good cricket.

- Prof

Pakistan does it again!

Your captain is banned, the new captain takes over but after making a fuss that he is being made a dummy captain, the chairman of your board resigns, your leading strike bowlers are caught for doping and are sent back home, then you are up against one of the favourites for the tournament.

What happens next? You win.

Fascinating stuff.

Pakistan has this knack of coming up with the goods when the chips are down. Full credit to Younis Khan and his men.

Technorati Tags: Cricket, Pakistan, Champions+Trophy, India