Best Cricket Articles

West Zone Wins Duleep Trophy In A Record Chase

2010-02-06T05:51:00.000-08:00

West Zone wins the Duleep trophy in a record chase at Hyderabad.Chasing 536 to win in the fourth innings,Yusuf pathan lead from the front making an unbeaten 210.He continued his form from the first innings in which he made 108.South zone in their first innings made 400 thanks to a high quality innings from the skipper Dinesh karthik who made 183.Irfan pathan took 5 for 100 and troubled most south zone batsman on a pitch that hasn't got much for the fast bowlers.In reply west zone managed only 251 runs of which 108 came from the bat of Yusuf Pathan.

With a lead of 149 runs from the first innings,south zone scored 386 runs in the second innings.It was the skipper show once again for the south zone.Dinesh karthik made a delightful 150.South zone declared at 386/9 meaning an almost improbable target of 536 runs for the west zone.

With 2 days in the test match,west zone batsman went through with their shots.C.pathak scored a brilliant hundred.He made 130 which really setup the game for west zone.Good contributions came from Jaffer who made 66 and Irfan pathan who made 42.But the man who stole the show was the elder pathan who made 210 not out.It was a great display of shot making from the senior pathan.Yusuf finished the match in style when he smashed S.Aravind over long-on to seal the record chase.

South zone dropped Yusuf 5 times,But at the end of the day the only thing that matters is the scoreboard.This is the biggest chase in first-class history surpassing the previous highest first-class chase of 513 for 9 between Central Province and Southern Province in the 2003-04 SriLankan domestic season.

Mumbai Clinch Ranji Trophy

2010-01-14T20:39:00.000-08:00

In a thrilling Ranji trophy final,Mumbai showed their supremacy once again in Indian domestic cricket.In one of the most nail biting contests ever in the history of the Ranji trophy,Mumbai held its nerve to clinch its 39th Ranji trophy title.It was a match which either side could have won,but the second new ball in the fourth innings proved too much for the Karnataka batsman.When the new ball was taken in the 81st over Karnataka had four wickets and still needed only 47 runs to win the match.But some high spirited performances from Ajit Agarkar and Dhawal Kulkarni did the task for Mumbai.Mumbai beat the host Karnataka by a meager margin of 6 runs.
Mumbai in their first innings could manage only 233 on a pitch that was conducive to fast bowling.In reply Karnataka failed to take the advantage and Crumbled for 130.A mix of poor stroke play and a fiery spell of fast bowling from the veteran Avishkar Salvi did the trick for Mumbai.In the second innings Mumbai could manage only 234,Thanks to a well made 87 from Dhaval kulkarni.a first innings lead of 133 meant that Karnataka had to make 338 to win on a pitch that had enough for the Seamers.
Karnataka looked on course when Manish Pandey and G Satish were batting.Pandey played one of the best innings you ever get to see on a cricket field.His 144 was a display of elegant stroke play and temperament.But when they both got out,the Mumbai Pacers took the new ball.Needing 47 runs to win with 4 wickets in hand Karnataka could manage only 41 runs.Ajit Agarkar took 5 wickets and most importantly the last wicket when 7 runs were needed.
The real hero of the match was the Gangothri Glades Cricket Ground at Mysore.If BCCI Can produce grounds such as this,then test cricket can blossom.

A moment of pride

2009-12-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

December 6th 2009 will go down as an auspicious day in Indian cricket.By beating Srilanka comprehensively by an innings and 24 runs,team India for the first time in its cricket history becomes the number one test team.It is a journey that started 18 months ago when Gary Kirsten took over as the coach of team India.The main reason for the success is the intimidating batting order the team has.Starting with Shehwag and Gambhir,followed by Dravid,Tendulkar and Laxman in the middle,with yuvraj and dhoni to follow,it is quite a herculean task for any bowler to curtail them.zaheer has been by far the best bowler in international cricket for some time now.Harbhajan leads the spin department like no one else in the world.

coming to the test at cci(cricket club of India),Veeru played one of the best innings you will ever get to see in test match cricket.Replying to srilankas 1st innings of 393,shehwag scored runs at will,with a very high pace.He might have missed the triple ton,but it is an innings of greatest batsman-ship.It is his innings that set the tone for India's most memorable win.Zaheer's 5 wicket haul completed the formalities.

There is one word that describes the team now-"Ruthless".

A Memorable Day In Indian Cricket

2009-11-27T07:09:00.000-08:00

November 27 2009 will mark the new beginning in Indian cricket.The win against Srilanka in Kanpur is the 100th test win for India.To make the day more special India sees itself on the top of the ICC test rankings.

A beautiful display of skills with both bat and ball gave India an innings victory against the tourists.With the Indian top order firing on the first two days,Srilanka never looked comfortable in the middle.The Delhi duo of Gambhir and Shehwag belted the Srilankan bowlers to all parts of the ground.Dravid and rest of the middle order continued the good work.

This will also be a match to remember for Sreesanth.The Kerala Pacer bowled high quality Swing Bowling,hitting the right areas almost with every delivery.In conditions as demanding as in Kanpur,this has to be one of his best performances ever.To be back in the team and to bowl the way he did is quite amazing.It was all in all a team effort that gave India a 1-0 lead going into the third test at Mumbai.Only Samaraweera showed some resilience.Harbhajan along with Ojha bowled beautifully throughout.It is a great site to see Harbhajan and Sreesanth enjoying each others success.They Looked like they forgot everything that transpired between them during the first IPL.This is what a great match can do.It Brings the team together.

20 Years of Tendulkar

2009-11-15T08:48:00.000-08:00

It has been quite sometime,since i have written something on the blog.But what better occasion can you get,It is 2 decades ago that Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar set his foot on the cricket field.Cricketing world then knew that a genius has arrived and will rewrite almost every record in the book.It has been quite a journey that even tendulkar might not have scripted better.

Playing alongside three generations of cricketers,he mastered the art of batting to mere perfection.He is an architect at work when he is on song.Adjectives and superlatives aren't enough to describe the caliber of a man who has been carrying Indian cricket on his shoulders for the past 20 years.

Playing in the era of Ponting and Lara,Sachin is still regarded as the best of the lot.From a school boy who along with his friend vinod kambli set a world record partnership,to a man who is regarded as the "god of cricket",sachin has always been down to earth.This is one quality that sets him apart from many.

Many feel he is the one that stands close to the Aussie great sir Donald Bradman,but tendulkar played cricket which is much more demanding than in the sixties.

There might be fools still debating his class,but fools are meant to be so.On the eve of his 20 years in cricket,i wish Tendulkar's resume becomes complete with the world cup win in 2011.
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Dhoni calls it wrong

2009-11-10T01:18:00.000-08:00

It is the Indian batting that came under heavy criticism after the loss at Guwahati.But the match was lost even before a ball was bowled.Dhoni won the toss,and to everybody's surprise opted to bat first.It doesn't require rocket science to know that 9am start would support the fast bowlers,and especially in the subcontinent it is an advantage worth grabbing.Guwahati traditionally has not been a batting paradise of late.It is a type of wicket where the ball tends to stops after hitting the deck.So the flashy Indian batsmen should have given more value to the wicket instead of hitting through the line of the ball.So batting first is not a great decision at all at Guwahati.

Dhoni may have his own way of looking at things.He might have thought that the pitch would slow up further in the second innings,and would help his spinners.But it is not such a great idea when you are 3-2 down.Indians lost half the side in the first half an hour of play.170 is not a score that can intimidate the Aussies.It is always a cake walk for the world champions.India might not be doing well while chasing in the recent past,but it is not worth a gamble to bat first on this occasion.

But credit has to be given to Australia for the way they played in this match.Despite the injuries to key players,Aussies played their best cricket so far in this series at Guwahati.Douglas Bollinger and Mitchell Johnson bowled beautiful lines to rattle the Indian top order.

They used the early morning advantage and swung the ball either ways.Indian captain might regret his decision to bat first,but when you loose the series 4-2,there is nothing much one can do,other than regretting his flaws.

I hope the next time he wins the toss,he chooses the best cricketing option rather than his own mind or past history.

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Lara versus Sachin

2009-11-06T09:33:00.000-08:00

One thing that is a point of discussion in the cricketing world at present is "who is the best batsman,Lara or Tendulkar"?.After the scintillating innings at Hyderabad Sachin made it clear that he is next to nobody.But the debate still continues because cricket pundits still have their own way of looking at things.

Glenn Mcgrath Thinks Lara is the best batsman he has ever bowled to because he thinks Lara in form is more difficult to get out.On the other hand Ricky pointing who is the next best after the duo,thinks that tendulkar is the best because of his consistency over a period of 20 years.
Ian chapel once said "if you put a gun on my head and ask to choose one of them,i would choose Lara because there is no player who plays spin as gracefully as him".But he also said "one thing that amazes me about Tendulkar is that being such a short man he generates tremendous power of the back foot".He says Sachin is a better player of fast bowling, but only slightly.
Wasim akram believes that sachin is by far the best he has bowled to.But contrastingly his bowling partner Waqar younis feels that Lara is the most toughest to bowl to.
Renowned cricket commentator Tony greig rates Tendulkar way above Lara."The way Sachin has handled himself is quite amazing and he is a role model for budding cricketers world over"
Even Lara once said "Sachin is a genius. I'm a mere mortal."
But one thing is for sure we are privileged to watch two of the greatest batsman of all time.Brain Charles Lara and Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar will be two names that will always be synonymous with the word called "greatest".

India Looses despite Sachins Heroics

2009-11-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

The whole of India who were eagerly awaiting 17000 runs from the master blaster got more than what they could have asked for.Tendulkar scored his 45th One day Hundred.But the Irony was that it was in a loosing cause..Tendulkar played a masterful 175 chasing the Aussie total of 351.Batting first Australia made 350,thanks to Shaun marsh's century.Shane Watson made 93 and helped the cause.

Chasing 351 to win India got of to a blistering start.Sehwag and Sachin belted the ball to all parts of the ground,before Sehwag got dismissed at 38.Gambhir,Yuvraj and Dhoni got out cheaply,but Tendulkar looked in ominous form.He timed the ball beautifully like he had done it for the past 20 years.Tendulkar Got support from Raina who made 59.But India lost Tendulkar and Raina at the dying moments of the match,which didn't help India's cause.Tendulkar made 175 before he got out.

He displayed the true class of batsman-ship with perfect footwork and elegant stoke play.Praveen kumar tried his part to win the match for India but it was a herculean task for him after jadeja's dismissal.But it was a treat at Hyderabad and the world over for cricket fans as Tendulkar showed his almost impossible mastery of batting.

He said at the presentation that it is hard to digest the loss despite a great innings.He also said that it is his passion for the game and to play for India that drive him to play cricket.

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David sheperd passes away

2009-10-29T08:08:00.000-07:00

Well known English cricket umpire David shepherd passed away on 27th of this month in London.He was suffering from cancer.Cricketing fraternity all around the world offered tributes to the man who brought laurels to the underrated art of umpiring.He was Born on 27th of December 1940 at instow,a small village in Devon.He officiated 92 test matches and 172 one day internationals.He umpired in the three consecutive world cup finals which portrays his class as an umpire.
He was often quoted as saying "The game isn't about us,It's about the players",which speaks volumes about his modesty.He debuted for Gloucester shire at the age of 25,and made a brilliant century against oxford university.
By the time Shepherd retired from the game in 1979, he had scored 12 centuries and 55 half-centuries in his 476 innings during 282 matches. He made 10,672 runs in total . He also took two first-class wickets with his medium pace.
He made his debut as an umpire in the 1983 world cup.He attracted one and all with his trademark hops and skips whenever the score reached 111 or any multiple of 111.

Cricket will certainly miss one of the greatest umpires of all time "David Robert Shepherd".

A thrilling contest on offer

2009-10-24T17:31:00.000-07:00

It is always a great Sunday morning, when there is a cricket extravaganza in the afternoon.India and Australia will compete each other in a seven match one day international series starting today.This will be a test of character for the men in blue as they are through a rough patch recently.Australia on the other hand are high on confidence after winning the champions trophy.Gambhir's injury before the first match will only help Australia's cause.The team will bank on Tendulkar and sehwag for good starts.
Harbhajan will have a key role to play on the pitches that suit his style of bowling.Australia looks formidable in all departments.The team under Ricky pointing is a good blend of youth and experience.Brett lee will be riding high on his performance from the champions trophy and champions league.But only time will tell when he bowls to the best of batsmen.Indian bowling looks fragile ,but the team has to find its ways to beat the best team in the world.

New south wales blues makes it a no contest

2009-10-22T00:47:00.000-07:00

New south wales stormed into the finals of the champions league T20.The clash of the two teams from Australia looked one sided.Winning the toss the new south wales blues made 169.Warner and Philip Hughes added 62 runs in seven overs.Warner looked in superb touch and made a blistering 48 with 7 fours and two sixes,of which 19 came of a peter siddle over.Hughes made 35 and looked solid.Katich(26) and Daniel smith(20) batted sensibly to set a target of 170 for the bush rangers.
The bowling attack of the blues which by far has the best bowling attack in the tournament made life difficult for the bush rangers.Brett lee took 2 for 15,and was well supported by Nathan hauritz who removed both the openers.Moises henriques picked 3 for 11 and continues to impress with both bat and ball.Bollinger and smith had a wicket each.
The bushrangers innings finished at 90 for the loss of 9 wickets after 20 overs.Wade was the top scorer with 23.The new south wales blues will now face the winner of the second semifinal between Trinidad and Tobago and the cape cobras.The bush rangers can now only cheer the blues to bring the cup home.

What went wrong with the IPL teams

2009-10-22T00:18:00.000-07:00

The champions league T20 has entered the semifinal stage,and the one question that is on every cricket fan's mind is what went wrong with the IPL teams.The three IPL teams played dismally.
Deccan chargers had two close games and lost in the final over in both.But that is no excuse.They lacked the batting power which is needed to win a T20 game.Gilchrist,Rohit sharma,Styris none of them played to their potential.The bowling looked good in bits and pieces.But that didn't even help them enter the super eight.
Bangalore looked like entering the last four,but had their problems with bowling.The team looked superb in their batting,with kallis and ross taylor scoring the bulk of runs.But in a format like twenty twenty you cannot afford to have a weak link.Bowling let them down in the opening match against the cape cobras.Needing to win 2 matches in the super eight stage,they managed only one win,ending their story.
Delhi daredevils lacked consistency and momentum.The team which boasts of the great glenn mcgrath had its moments, but failed to deliver during the key moments of the competition.One day the team looked great in bowling and on the other day it looked great in batting.The two disciplines in the game never clicked together.Gambhir,Dilshan didn't do justice to their talents.
All in all the three IPL teams had a disastrous champions league that they would like to forget.They would certainly like to do better in the second edition of the champions league T20.

Dravid Shown The Door Unceremoniously

2009-10-18T00:21:00.000-07:00

The chairman of selectors showed the door to Indian premier batsmen rahul dravid for the upcoming series against australia.Dravid who is presently playing in the champions league might find it difficult to digest.Dravid played quite well in Srilanka and got 76 against Pakistan in the only match he batted in the champions trophy.But only god knows why he is not selected why he is not selected for the series against Australia.Ravindra jadeja who failed to prove his talent at the international level still found a place in the highly competitive indian middle order.Dravid who scored over 10000 runs in both forms of the game might not find this mediocre selection easy to digest.

Munaf patel who is never athletic in the field and is not handy on flat pitches still found a place in the team.Sreesanth who had a good season playing for the English county Warwickshire would have been a better choice.Sreesanth, who bowled with a lot of heart and pace in the challengers trophy would have strengthened the Indian pace attack. Suddep tyagi who plays for the Chennai super kings gets his first chance to represent team India.It is a good sign for young fast bowlers as there efforts are being recognized finally.The big boost however will be the return of sehwag.He returns to the team after a long lay off due to injury and would be the man to watch out for.Yuvraj proved his fitness before the team selection and has his place always.Abhisekh nayar,rp singh and yusuf pathanare left out due to poor form.BCCI also sacked the bowling coach venkatesh prasad and fielding coach robin singh which is quite harsh.Coaches can only tell the players what to do,but it is up to the players on the ground.Zaheer is yet to recover from his shoulder injury and will definitely be missed.Ishant needs to come out of his poor form and show his true class.Irfan pathan could also find himself unlucky.There is always something about selection that people cant understand,"on what basis is the team selected"?.You might find a good player coming in but only at the cost of loosing another.

But one thing is for sure,India will definitely miss the class of india's best number 3 batsmen ever Rahul Dravid.

Royal challengers pack a punch

2009-10-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

it is in an all important game that true professionals show their class.and there is only one team that looked like winning the match in the game between the royal challengers Bangalore and the otago volts. batting first the men in red never looked in trouble.uthappa showed once again that he enjoys opening the batting.on the other side the veteran south African jacques kallis showed why he is still considered the best in the business.kallis scored an unbeaten 73.uthappa who made 42 looked more than impressive.virat kohli continued his form from the champions trophy and made a sizzling 32.ross taylor showed no mercy on the team from newzealand as he belted the ball to all parts of the ground.he scored an 11 ball 32 that only a ross taylor is capable of.chasing an improbable 189 for victory ,the otago volts surrendered to kallis and company.kallis grabbed the top 3 and made it his day.kumble is no less a champion and got 2 for 20.vinay kumar got 2 wickets.the tourists from newzealand can now only sit and watch the brilliance of their man ross taylor from home.