DA CRICKETER

Out For A Big While

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:36:00 +0000

Again I couldn't force myself to write for the last 80 days or so. I'm actually sufferring from boredom and being busy these days. That has had a really bad impact on my blogging. Anyway, I'll try my best to push myself to post here once in a while and for now write a summary about the international cricket I witnessed (most probably you as well) during these days.

So, during these days I just couldn't miss the action in cricket, though I did miss it in my blogging life. Ashes is going on well and the recently concluded Test and ODI series in Sri Lanka did show a lot of uncompetitiveness and unprofessionalism by the Pakistan team. But, in the last two ODI matches Sri Lankans were a lot complacent. Taking a look at the Ashes, England made everyone shocked when they were dismissed for just 102 runs in the 1st Innings thanks to The Fanatics, the rival cheerleader group of the Balmy Army, playing a prank on the English players during the early hours of the first day of the Test match.

On the other hand, the series in the Caribbean went unnoticed due to the players' strike of the West Indies' side. Bangladesh could not ask for more as they made maximum use of it to whitewash the hapless third string West Indies team in the two test match series. They went on to win the ODI series 2-1 emphatically. A tour that Bangladesh will never forget for sure.

Underdogs to Take on the Favourites

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 22 May 2009 10:27:00 +0000

It's the first semi-final of the IPL. The Deccan Chargers are going to be up against the title favourites Delhi Daredevils. Who's your bets on? Delhi Daredevils have come to this game with a winning note. Deccan Chargers will still be upbeat despite there 12 run loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

So far in the tournament, Delhi Daredevils haven't had good starts when it comes to batting. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir haven't been in their best form of late. So that may be one area, which the Deccan Chargers might want to exploit. On the other hand, the Delhi Daredevils have one of the best bowling attacks which might worry the Deccan Chargers a lot. But, still the likes of Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma will definitely make Deccan Chargers have the edge when it comes to batting. Their bowling attack has also stood upto the challenge. Therefore, it's safe to assume that they've got one good balanced side. So do the Delhi Daredevils thanks to their strong middle order, which comprises of AB de Villiers, TM Dilshan, Mithun Manhas and Dinesh Karthik

Today's going to be the big day for both teams as well as for their devoted fans. So let me wish good luck to all of them. Hope we can see a thrilling close finish today!

IPL Action

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:08:00 +0000

I don't need to give any introduction to the IPL to any cricket lover. It's a household name in any part of the world where cricket is popular. In India the prison inmates went on a hunger strike for not allowing them to watch it and last year in Bangladesh the university students protested to postpone their exams. So popular it is and so devoted are its fans.

During the first few days of the IPL no one could predict who'll get to the semi-finals. It's pretty obvious, but who thought that the defending champions Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab will be out of the tournament in the first round! The former were the first in the pack last time at the end of the first round, while the latter was second.

In come Royal Challengers Bangalore and Deccan Chargers to the semi-finals. Remember, that they were the no.7 and 8 in the last IPL season. This time they've changed the tables aroud. It's very good to see that two underdogs coming so strongly beating the favourites. But, Delhi Daredevils and Chennai Super Kings have reserved their places in the semis as they did last time.

So who will come to the finals is the big question in all our minds as the top four teams who are to play in the semis has already been confirmed. Wish you good luck in supporting your team and also wish that your team will get to the finals. But still there's only going to be one team that will be crowned as the King of IPL 2009!

After a Long Time

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:56:00 +0000

Well, it's been a long time since I've posted here. A big sorry for that, to all of you. Anyway, these four months have been packed with a lot of cricket action and rarely missed any part of it. Hope you didn't as well.

These days I was watching the IPL matches. There were some exciting contests, especially during this week. Semi-finals are just a day away. I'm looking forward to it eagerly.

By the way I wish to post my thoughts on the IPL in my next post and that will be posted today itself. I now want to cover up for the days I've missed. But, most probably I won't be able to do that. Still want to give my best shot.

Enjoy your cricket!

Highlights of Australia vs Sounth Africa ODI series

noreply@blogger.com (Praveen S.M) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:23:00 +0000

1st ODI - http://tinyurl.com/8lzttv
2nd ODI - http://tinyurl.com/9nl6gt
3rd ODI - http://tinyurl.com/d5jhcm
4th ODI - http://tinyurl.com/b4y7q7

Unpredictablility in Cricket!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:39:00 +0000

Zimbabwe wins against Bangladesh and then goes down losing to Sri Lanka without giving a fight. Bangladesh, who have no other option other than to win, does it emphatically against a very tough opponent, Sri Lanka.

So many things happening in a Cricket ODI tournament, where one would've thought beforehand that Sri Lanka will easily win all the matches. But, the finals is yet to be played and Sri Lanka has already lost a match. Whatever the outcome it maybe in the finals, already enough unpredictable results have been produced. So strange is the game of cricket.

Two years, if not one, no cricket fan would've ever dreamt that Australia will be defeated by any opponent in Tests so easily, that too in Australia itself. But, what happened last month was something that even a non-cricket-lover would be surprised about. Yet, this did indeed occur.

Is this good for cricket or not? I doubt that anyone will ever say "no" as it increases the interest in the game. It is good for the game and for its lovers. Unpredictability in cricket seems to be at its peak. And, now how good is that for anyone watching cricket?

The Future of Aussies

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:18:00 +0000

The Kangaroos were wounded twice very badly, but counter-attacked in retaliation afterward.s Yet, that wasn't good enough to erase the humiliation of losing a home Test series in nearly 15 years! But, that was sufficient to hold onto their No.1 position in ICC Test rankings for possibly another two more months.

But, now that South Africans are in their best form in years and a formidable force to defeat any team in any conditions, Australia will have to be biting the nails until the start of their return series against South Africa next month. Then onwards, it can be a real nightmare for them, or if they do well unlike the recently concluded series, it would be otherwise.

However, Australians are still having a lot of problems to solve. Their bowlers have lost the venom they had in the past. Their batting and fielding is inconsistent like never before. Unless, they solve these problems pretty quickly, it is difficult to even dream that Aussies will be able to secure their top spot in Tests, let alone for it to happen in the real world.

Rise of Dale Steyn

noreply@blogger.com (Praveen S.M) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 11:40:00 +0000

Dale Steyn wreaked Australia's strong batting line up in the 2nd test to hand the Proteas a sensational victory over the world champs,which something all the other South African sides couldn't achieve in the past.Finally they have lived up to potential and one of the main reasons is the rise of Dale Steyn,who is a genuinely fast, if slightly raw, bowler, who moves the ball away from right-handers, Steyn sprints to the wicket and hurls the ball down with aggression, and often follows with a snarl or side for the batsman.Before the series Mathew Hayden quoted that Dale Steyn will be tested,but from what has happened in this series we can say that he has passed the test and Maththew Hayden have failed it.
In September 2008, Steyn was named the ICC's Test Player of the Year, taking 86 wickets at an average of just 18.10 in the 14 Test matches he played during the period in consideration.This rise was expected by the SA selectors as they knew the potential this man has.Dale Steyn's rise to national selection was rapid, being picked in the side for the first Test against England in December 2004 little more than a season after making his first-class debut.but it's since the last one and half years that he has really taken off and taken the world by storm,he's currently #2 in ICC Test bowling rankings behind the all time great Murali,it'll be hard to catch Murali but seeing his rise we can never write him off

Right decision at last

noreply@blogger.com (Praveen S.M) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 03:22:00 +0000

Sri Lankan Interim Committee headed by Arjuna Ranathunga is dissolved at last after speculation that it would be inevitable after constant disagreements between sports minister and Ranathunga.It is not only the sports minister who was unhappy with Ranathunga's dictatorship administration but a while ago even Sri Lankan national players had a dispute over Ranathunga's decision to hastily arrange a cricket tour of England knowing IPL is scheduled during that time,and it doesn't end there, even the Indian cricket board was made to be foes thanks to Ranathunga's decisions and the list goes on including Asantha De Mel the chairman of selectors who is not in good terms with Ranathunga, Hemasiri Fernando the chairman of National Olympic Committee also faced the wrath of Ranathunga as a results of a parlimentary speech made by him alleging there is mismanagement of funds at National Olympic Committee.So what we can say is that Ranathunga in his term as the head os SLC has made more foes than any other President ever in the history of Sri Lankan Cricket and we can term this as the worst administration ever and thankfully for cricket loving public in Sri Lanka it is dissolved now.We hope that there wil be fair elections held and a properly responsible and acccountable board of members will be appointed to run the SLC

What's Chris Broad Doing?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 08:41:00 +0000

Recently there was an argument between Gautham Gambhir and Shane Watson in the 3rd Test match against the ongoing India-Australia Test Series. Gambhir was banned for one Test match whereas Shane Watson was fined 10% of his match fee.

Now, this may sound quiet normal i.e. the punishment given to the players are fair. But, if you look at the history of how Chris Broad, the Match Referee of this match, he has always favoured the Australians and other White players in some occasions. One noticeable example of this, was the punishment given to Justin Langer, who clipped down a stump as he went past the wicket, during the 3rd Test match in a Sri Lanka-Australia in 2004. He was only warned, but not punished. But, according to the ICC rules he should've actually been severely punished. Chris Broad thought otherwise.

This is undoubtedy double standards by a ICC referee. This would only bring discredit to the game's governing body, so action should be taken now or it might be too late. Chris Broad, you should change or be changed. If the latter is also not possible, then you should be thrown out of the ICC's referee's panel.

Not Good Cricket Big Brother!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:16:00 +0000

Sri Lanka's Big Brother in cricket, India, is undoubtedly the economic power house of cricket. The impact it has had on the game is immense. If not for it the ICC won't be rich as it is today and also there won't be a big fanfare of the game.

Recently, Sri Lanka Cricket(SLC) was having big problems with its contract international players not willing to take part in a England tour next year which was arranged ad-hoc. Instead, they said that they are bound to their IPL franchises with whom they have contracts to play in the league's next season. Because of this, SLC had to change their mind and consider of an alternative. As they are bankrupt and in search of money in some way or the other, they decided to make a deal with the IPL committee. The deal was that the SLC would release its contract players to participate in the IPL and in return they are to be pain $40 million. The BCCI, first agreed to make the deal, but afterwards changed their mind saying that Arjuna Ranatunga should be thrown out of SLC, if any deal is to be made. The reason they have given for making such a demand is that, Arjuna Ranatunga had made too many bad remarks about the BCCI and its players.

As we know, the BCCI has played the same "game" in the past; the "money-power" game. They try to bully other cricket boards as well as the ICC to get their job done without any big hassle. So, now SLC is in a confused state. They don't know what to do from now on. Are they to have Arjuna Ranatunga as their Chairman or are they going to make the deal?

No doubt, this scenario is going to be a very decisive one in the future, for other cricket boards as well.

The Fall of Aussie Dominance

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:31:00 +0000

For the last decade or so, it was Australia who were ranked No.1 in Tests and ODI for the most part. They were not easy to be beaten as they had very good and even great players together who made up a formidable force. But, now as three of their great players namely, Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath have retired has their indomitableness fading?

Many cricket gurus are now saying that it is indeed the time, the fading of the Aussies has begun. But, won't there be a resurgence by this once-a-great team? Only God knows.

By the way, India has come up to be a good match to the powerful Australian team. Maybe four of their great players are close to retire, but still they have plenty of talented young players as replacements. But, then, how about the Aussies? Haven't they got good players as replacements as well? Well, they have got good players, but one cannot still tell whether they can match upto the talent of the retired elite players. Only time will say.

In my opinion, it's good to see that some of the Test playing countries are catching up with the best. Then, we won't have to watch those boring predictable matches like in the past. Viva la cricket!

After a Long TIme

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:27:00 +0000

I was away for quite some time. Sigh. My bad.

I had exams and then other important work to attend to. So, didn't get much time to at least write one post. I don't take that as an excuse. But, anyway I'm starting to write here again.

The last two months were very good for cricket. Hope you too were aware of it. It's nice to see T20 gaining acceptance by the ICC as a major form of cricket. It is the way forward for cricket. A lot of the younger people prefer to watch these type of "instant noodles" stuff, as it doesn't waste their precious time. But, purists may think otherwise.

By the way, ICL hasn't got accpetance from the BCCI, yet. That's too bad in the ICL players' point of view. They will have to serve the ban of their respective cricket board. I'm personally against this ban. Players should be allowed to choose what league they prefer to play for.

Let's hope the ICC will intervene to solve this issue. For now, that's it from me. :D

Have nice cricketing day!

The Money Earning T20

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:25:00 +0000

Now it's T20 which is the topic of the day. It's all about how much you can earn from it, but not how good it is. Recently, the President of Sri Lanka Cricket told in a press conference that he's not satisfied of players going to play in the IPL, without considering how much money their respective Cricket Boards can make by other tours.

This is not a satisfactory thing for cricket. It's true that cricket players are humans and thus would love to earn quick money by playing T20, but the worrying factor is that more focus will be given T20 alone in the future. Then, what will be the fate of the ODIs and Tests? The ICC will have to think quite a lot on this issue and may be even compelled to put some restrictions on T20 tournaments to be held.

Still T20 is in its infancy. But, the popularity it has gained is far more than anyone would've expected. The IPL was a big success. The cricket stadiums were packed full in almost all of the matches. So, in another 4-5 years it will no wonder be the financial driving source of cricket.

Wonderful Comebacks!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 07:23:00 +0000

India had lost the 1st Test match to Sri Lanka by an innings and a mammoth 239 runs! South Africa chasing a target of 283 had lost 4 wickets for just 93 runs! But, everything turned in their favour with time.

India which has a good batting line up didn't play well in the first Test against Sri Lanka. But, in the second Test Sehwag showed them the way with an unbeaten 201 n.o. which ultimately was the main factor behind their victory. Sri Lanka bowled well in the second Innings, but their batting led them down heavily. But, this time around the Indian spinners showed their potential by grabbing 15 wickets in the match.

On the other hand, South Africa were in a different situation. Chasing a challenging target of 283, they lost some quick wickets in the middle stage of their innings. But, the skipper Graeme Smith showing a never-give-up attitude batted with AB de Villiers to consolidate their innings. After the dismissal of de Villiers, England would have breathed for some air. But, their relief didn't last for long. It was another partnership by Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher which helped them to cruise to victory.

The never-to-give-up attitude indeed helps you a lot to win. India and South Africa have shown this to the cricket world. So, now let's hope that the other cricket teams will take this an example and start winning as they never did before.

England's Preparation for the Ashes

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 03:35:00 +0000

It's going to be in 2009 Summer. The Ashes Test series is considered as the most significant Test series in cricket. Both the teams, Australia and England, who compete in it never like to give up. Australia has had the better times in the Ashes in the last two decades, but England is now a much more improved side.

This year, England has so far fared well in Tests. In their current series against South Africa, they managed to display a wonderful performance in the first Test match. But, the second Test match was the stark opposite of it. This may have happened due to the lack of their consistency.

Australia on the other hand, have always been consistent. It was only one match they have fallen to the opposition this year, so far. But, that too by making a good fight. So, if England have to defeat them, consistency will be the key.

England's new found players like Tim Ambrose, Ryan Sidebottom and Matt Prior seem to have good talent. So, do the Aussies have new found players like Mitchell Johnson, Beau Casson and Phil Jacques. These new talented players from both the sides will be hungry of been given a chance to prove their worth in the prestigious Ashes series.

So, there we go. The Ashes Test series in the next year's Summer is most probably going to go down to the wire. Another wonderful series like the 2005 Ashes to be expected. Cricket fans, be ready to watch this wonderful battle between the game's oldest rivals.

Review system is good for the game

noreply@blogger.com (Praveen S.M) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 03:28:00 +0000

Although, only one game was played using this new review system, but from what everyone saw in that match, this system has more positives than negatives. Just remember Sachin and Dravid not walking after they clearly edged the ball and the umpires turned the appeals down, what would have happened if there was no review? Who knows.

I think it's the next best thing happened to cricket after a long time. Ya, I agree there was some doubt about Sehwag's dismissal, but that was the only negative point. Even before the match there was some doubt about the system in case of LBWs, but I think with some improvements we will be able to get 100% correct decisions in the future.

How many people come to watch cricket matches just to see one specific batsman(like Sanath, Sachin, Gilchrist, Pieterson) and one bad decision ruin the day for them? Nobody likes it. Remember, that Ajantha Mendis should have got a hat-rick against India, but Simon Taufel turned it down. What history that would have been... That's why I think this system will even help to popularise the game further.

After the embarrassment for Sachin and Dravid, I hope batsman will start to walk after they edge the ball as they know a review is possible. This will improve the spirit of the game. How many times we've seen too much anger from players and bad relationships between teams because of bad umpiring? (Just remind INDIA v AUSTRALIA Test series). All of that will not happen as players will respect the decisions now, as they know it's the correct one. Specially, for edges we can use the hot spot technology as the Trakker may be ineffective in guessing the difference of sounds from either bat hitting ground, pad etc.

The only question mark is about LBWs. I think the 'hawk-eye' should be improved and there won't be any problem thereafter. But, 'hawk-eye' can definitely be used to know where the ball pitches and where it hits the pads.

Finally, I'm quite sure that this will improve the game of cricket and the correct decision making will make the better team win in almost every match. And in my opinion, however much you say decisions even out, I think Asian teams have had the rough end of it more than the other teams. Aussies always have their way with the umpires. So, I'm pretty sure that the other teams will be able to catch up with Australia with the help of this review system, which I hope will happen very soon. The ICC should continue with this review system for the betterment of the game.

The Two 'M' Powers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:42:00 +0000

It was trouble time for India and easy time for Sri Lanka. The two 'Ms', namely Muralitharan and Mendis caused havoc to the Indian batsmen in the 1st Test match of the Idea Cup Test series.

No doubt, the spinners showed the difference in the two teams. India's experienced spin attack in Anil Kumble and Harbajan Singh didn't work well for them. The two suffered to do any big damage in what was a good spin pitch. But, the two Ms did exploit the pitch to great effect. They bagged 19 out of the 20 Indian wickets!

Mendis playing in his debut, showed a lot of courage and character while the Master of Spinning, Murali, showed his experience and viciousness yet again. It was the 21st time Murali took 10 wickets in a match.

The former Indian batsman and present commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar, recently told that Indian batsmen are 'no more good players of spin'. It seems to be true, because Sri Lanka is a place where a batsman will have to use all his skills to play spin. And, on the other hand, they were facing very good spin bowlers. Although, in the past they had fared well with very good spinners like Shane Warne and even Muralitharan, this time they failed to do so.

The four celebrated batsmen in the Indian side, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman will have to play upto their potential in the next 2 matches or else they'll be letting down their team. But, this task for them seems to be a real toughy and at the same time the best chance to prove that their ability to play spin is still in them.

Security Threats

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:35:00 +0000

The upcoming ICC Champions Trophy tournament is under tremendous threat due to security issues in the host nation Pakistan. Teams such as England and Australia have hinted that they might send a second string team. On the other hand, Sri Lanka has offered to be alternative hosts.

But, yesterday India has pledged support to Pakistan to host the tournament, which will definitely be a big boost for them. The cricket governing body ICC is yet to give a verdict on this issue.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how things will turn up in the next few months. Cricket fans, be on the watch out!

Sachin Tendulkar to Break Another Record

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:29:00 +0000

It's the Master Blaster who is going to be watched closely by cricket fans around the world, once again. It's only 172 runs required for Tendulkar to be the highest Test runs scorer ever in the history of the game. The current record is held by the West Indian star batsman, Brian Lara.

Currently, Tendulkar holds the records for the highest number of runs scored (16,361) and hundreds made (42) in ODIs and the highest number of centuries in Tests (39). His ODI records seem to be unbreakable, but the Test record he presently holds and the one he's about break, might be pursued by classy batsmen like Ricky Ponting and Jacque Kallis.

In Sri Lanka, Tendulkar has played six Tests and has made four centuries. His average is a whopping 111.66. He seems to love playing in Sri Lanka. But, his last Test in this country was back in 1999 - 9 years ago! So, now the Sri Lankan team is quite different from what it was before. The bowlers seem to be better, so do their fielding skills.

It'll be interesting how Tendulkar will aproach Sri Lanka's premiere bowlers, Chaminda Vaas and Mutthiah Muralitharan in their own backyard. So, will it be interesting to see him facing the new Sri Lankan star bowler Ajantha Mendis.

By the way, Tendulkar will have to score at an average of 30 in 6 innings to break the world record. But, no doubt he'll be expecting to do better than this i.e. try to guide his team to victory. In the meantime, the Monsoon rain in Sri Lanka will play a key role as to how much time Tendulkar will be afforded to bat.

India and Pakistan's Fielding Woes.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:53:00 +0000

In the recently concluded Asia Cup series, fielding of the teams who played in it was not a thing to be remembered. Pakistan showed some improvement, but not enough. India too, had improved to a certain extent, but yet not upto the standards. Sri Lanka had a good time in the field; so did Bangladesh, except for a few hiccups.

Fielding was not that important about 10 years back. But, now everything has changed in the cricket world. A result of it being the improvement in fielding. Sri Lanka has been a part of that. So has Bangladesh to a certain extent, but not the other test playing nations in the region i.e. India and Pakistan. No doubt, it has cost a lot to these two rival countries, as good fielding would help the team to save 20-30 runs, whereas poor fielding could cost the same amount of runs or even more.

On the other hand, the rest of the test playing nations have caught up in fielding at a good pace. Australia, South Africa and New Zealand seem to be in the fore front without any good competition from the rest. England and West Indies have improved in the last few years. And, Zimbambwe always seem to pride themselves in their fielding skills.

So, at least now, India and Pakistan will have to sit back and do some thinking on this aspect of the game. "Where have we gone wrong? How can we improve?", might be some of the questions they'll have to ask from themselves, and find out the answers. Or, as I said before, it'll cost them not only a lot of runs, but also matches, which are for them to be won.

Mystery = Mendis = Magic?

noreply@blogger.com (Praveen S.M) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 09:40:00 +0000

I first saw Ajantha Mendis bowl about a year ago, in an inter provincial 50 over match. He bowled to Kumar Sangakkara, who was bamboozled by every ball he bowled and then finally edged the ball to slip and Mendis got his man rightfully. At that moment, I knew there's something special inside this man, and I'm sure Mahela Jayawardena who was the captain of that team also knew that there is a lot to come from this man.

He played his 1st first class match in November 2006 for Army in the Division 2 Lague tournament, where he went wicketless, and in fact, he actually played as a batting all rounder. He batted at number 5, but from there he developed into a lethal bowler where the abilities of division 2 batsman were not good enough to handle him. So, he took a remarkable 114 wickets at an amazing average of 14.54. He totally dominated the bowling and that caught the eye of the selectors who picked him for the Provincial tournament, where he was outstanding and was clearly not picked by any of the top ranked Sri Lankan batsman. Therefore, there was no doubt about his selection for the National side; it was just a matter of time.

Some people even wanted him to go to Australia for the CB series, but I think the selectors were right in picking him for the West Indies tour. He did brilliantly in the 1st ODI and almost won the game if not for the 6 off the last ball hit by Chanderpaul. But, after that everybody expected him to do something fantastic sooner rather than later, and sure he did.

His performance in the Asia Cup final will be a memorable one for a very long time. He made the 2nd best batting line up in the world absolutely clueless. He toyed with them, and they were like kids who batted for the 1st time in their life. In fact, it was funny to see them bat against him, unless if you are an Indian.

Although, classified as a right-arm, slow-medium bowler, Ajantha Mendis is a spinner who bowls a mixture of googlies, offbreaks, top-spinners, flippers and legbreaks. When Mahela was questioned about his varieties and how he manages them, Mahela said he has 6 types of deliveries and he's only using 4 of them... Not good news if you are a batsman.

Batsmen have been confused by the variety of deliveries he has up on his sleeves and are at a loss to figure out what his stock of deliveries are. I saw in some articles people saying that once the mystery is out and batsman finds a way to play him, he won't be successful. They say, what happened to Saqlain Mushtaq will happen to him. But, in my opinion, Mendis has the ability to stay ahead of the batsmen and will be a nightmare to many batsmen for a long time to come.

He's still a mystery. So, in the next year or two, he might bag heaps of wickets, but there will be a time when the batsmen would adopt to different techniques to counter him. There lies his challenge. It won't be easy for them to stop this man from achieving great heights in international cricket, because he is something special. And this battle between him and the batsmen over the world, would be a wonderful treat for any cricket fan to witness.

What's Happening West Indies?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:18:00 +0000

West Indies was the most dominating team in the 1970s and 80s. But, since the mass exodus of their best players in the early 90s they have fallen to a sorry state. They seem to lack consistency quite a lot.

Only a few days or months have the West Indies team been able to be above their usual 8th rank, whether it be Tests or ODIs. Although, they have won an occasional tournament in the last 10 years, their status in cricket is no doubt in tatters. But, what has made them become so weak a cricket nation, though, once they were considered as the best team ever.

Many reasons can be given for this downfall. Unlike cricketers, basketball players in the USA are paid well. So, as many West Indians are agile and athletic, they suit for many of the vaccancies available in the teams which play for the NBA title. Therefore, from the young ages, many West Indians pursue a career in basketball instead of cricket. This is one main reason for their downfall.

The other is the lack of proper administration in cricket. Their island cricket teams aren't good enough when compared to the other test playing nations' club teams. Thus, very few talented players get into the national side.

If these issues aren't taken seriously by the cricket administration of West Indies, they are certainly to fall into a deep pit and a recovery would not be that easy.

South Africa - The Chokers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:05:00 +0000

South Africa is back in the cricket news. It was in a valiant effort put by the South African batsmen in the 2nd innings of the 1st test match against England. Although, they are a very good side and have shown such boldness a numerous times in cricket before, they have failed miserably when it comes to the big encounters i.e the crucial matches in the World Cup.

In 1992, South Africa were hot favourites to win the World Cup. But alas! Everything went upside down, when South Africa lost in the semi-finals to England. It was a controversial end to their bid to become World Champions, as the rain interruption made their required 22 runs to get from 13 balls to be revised, to get 21 runs from just 1 ball.

Then in 1996, South Africa were once again one of the favourites to win the World Cup. But, the West Indian start batsman, Brian Charles Lara, ruined the party in the quarter finals by making a brilliant century.

And then it was the 1999 World Cup which seemed to be their tournament. But, their hopes were once again torn into pieces, when Alan Donald got run out by attempting a needless single in their semi-final match against the Australians, who went onto to become the World Champions.

Afterwards, it was 2003 where the World Cup was hosted in home soil. This was to be their best chance to get hold of that nice World Cup. But, to everyone's surprise they didn't even make it to the second round, which was called as the Super Six.

Then came 2007. It was a tournament with mixed sucess for them. They lost to minnows Bangladesh convincingly in the second round and almost lost to Sri Lanka when Lasith Maling picked 4 wickets in a row. Anyway, they somehow managed to make it to the semi-finals. But, it didn't last long-- Australia convincingly beat them in the big game.

In the same year, South Africa hosted a World Cup of a different format. It was the first ever T20 World Cup-- another chance to get hold of that big trophy. But, it never became a reality. They were once again thrown out in the 2nd round.

So, still South Africa's woes continue. One would wonder whether someone has cast a spell on them. But, whether a spell is cast on them or not, undoubtedly, all of the South African fans will only be in joy, the day their team brings that Big Trophy home.

Australia's Dominance

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 05:21:00 +0000

Three World Cup victories in a row. Wow. Aussies seem to be the current Invincibles in cricket, by far. West Indies were pathetic having lost to the Aussies in the tests and then having to face a whitewash defeat in the ODI tournament.

Although, Aussies are undoubtedly the current Invincibles in international cricket, they have lost a few good players during the last two years. Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist all of whom made big contributions to the team over the years, are no more in the Australian side. But, still they have been able to maintain their supremacy over the other test playing nations, thanks to the new players, who have played to their potential.

Their dominance in cricket was further proved in the IPL, where a lot of Player of the Match awards went to Australians. Even, the Player of the Series was an Australian, namely Shane Watson. Also, the winning team's coach and captain was none other than the famous Shane Warne, who has contributed to Australian cricket immensely.

In the meantime, the biggest question the Aussie fans always ask is that till when will their team's domination continue? It's a worrying factor for this strong team's opponents as well. Teams like South Africa, England and India seem to be catching up fast with Australia. But, still these teams lack consistency, one main area the Aussies have mastered.

Whether the Aussies will continue their domination or not, is no doubt going to be a hot topic in the months to come by and all the cricket fans over the world will be having an eye on it. Also, it would be interesting to see how the Aussies maintain the pressure to be the No.1 for some more time.