The Wicket Post

The missing brick in the wall

2012-01-25T23:09:00.000+05:30

Rahul Dravid is known as the wall and is the personification of the perfect textbook defense in cricket. He is the epitome of the conventional breed of cricketers and brings the old charm of test cricket in modern day cricket where its all about striking the ball big with utter disregard for bowlers. Dravid the technically correct batsmen has for a long time stood as an example to be cited by coaches all over the world to young cricketers and teach them the art of batting. However that man now seems to be a pale shadow of himself and his methodical technique that once was considered the best in the modern era seems to be unraveling itself from the man.

In his last 7 innings (counting the first innings at Adelaide), Rahul Dravid has been dismissed in the same way. Every single time he has been bowled and had his furniture disturbed. A worrying sight for any batsmen and one that confounds Dravid. For a batsman known best for his rock solid defense, being bowled is without doubt the worst possible way to be dismissed. Time and time again the red cherry has found a way past the willow and the pad and struck timber and without Dravid's presence at the crease on testing Aussie conditions, the Indian middle order has struggled.

The thing that is most surprising with this particular mode of dismissal is that being bowled is perhaps the last way of getting out you'd associate with a generally defensive player such as Dravid. As someone who has an excellent forward defense, the gap between the the bat and pad is something that is quite alarming to note. Also Dravid is a player who is known for his immense powers of concentrations and his presence of mind around the corridor of uncertainty and the ability to judge the lengths of the ball quick, but not that doesn't seem to be the case. Dravid did come out and say that he didn't feel there was any problems with his technique but now with three more similar dismissals I'm sure he like the rest of us feels something is amiss.

The gap between the bat and pad which once was a rock solid wall now resembles the Gateway of India and the sight of Dravid being castled over is one of the few sights in cricket that I rather not watch. The cause of the missing brick in the wall is difficult to figure out. Perhaps it can attributed to some minor flaw in Dravid's technique, or the pressure of the need to perform after a long disastrous tour, or maybe old age is catching up and his reflexes have slowed down. Ganguly has attributed Dravid's failure to his lack of footwork and talking about Dravid, the former Indian skipper said,

"For Dravid, the problem of the ball rattling the stumps continues. I can't remember him getting bowled so many times in his career and it's becoming a worry for him and a lot of people connected with the game. He just seems to get surprised by the deliveries coming into him and the bat face turns, which allows the ball to go through. That fluency of the footwork has gone completely missing and he will have to work very hard to get it back."

Perhaps that is the problem, or perhaps not and a more complex one exists. Whatever the case, the missing brick is causing the entire wall to crumble and for a man well into the last leg of his career, it will be interesting to see how he handles this and overcomes it. There is no doubt that the missing brick's place will be filled up with another eventually, but will it happen before the cracks open up and the entire wall is pulled down?

Dravid in his Bradman Oration said that the veterans of the Indian team have returned to Australia for one last time as creaking Terminators however unlike the Terminator they haven't made much impact if any at all and left behind an Aussie wreckage. Dravid perhaps has one final opportunity to set the record set at Adelaide. Hopefully the case of the missing brick in the wall can be solved soon and the wall restored to its former glory.

England's Spin Trouble

2012-01-20T17:44:00.000+05:30

The world's number one ranked test team lost by 10 wickets to Pakistan within just three days [SCORECARD] and there are alarm bells going all over the English camp. Of course it is not a big surprise that England lost the match but what is surprising or rather attention grabbing is that the convincing fashion of their defeat. Surely this is not the same English team that won the Ashes last year and routed India 4-nil in their backyard?

A dejected English team walking off.

England like most teams have a good record at home. A very good record and without a doubt are the number one team in the world in English conditions. But take away the comforts and the security of their small island, then you got yourself a team that looks hardly competitive and plays much like how India have been going about in their current series in Australia.

English batsmen have always struggled in the sub-continent and have never been able to better the spinners. Rarely do you associate an English batsman who bested a spinner in the sub-continent. Of course there are a few names such as Ian Botham in 1986 who kept sweeping the Indian spinners but overall the English batsmen have come up with little to answer the turning ball and it is this chink in their armor that is bringing their entire team down.

Super Spinner!

In the match against Pakistan in Dubai on a spinning track, Saeed Ajmal managed to pick up 7 wickets on the very first day! The pitch certainly wasn't that bad, and Saeed Ajmal despite being a wonderful bowler who in the last year has transformed from an ordinary bowler to someone with great abilities and potential, didn't look life threatening. Granted that he bowled great nevertheless and kept the bowling pretty tight and managed to beat the mat over and over again, it was more of the failure of the English batsmen in reading him rather than him outperforming them. Ajmal ended the match with 10 wickets and in the second innings looked a much ordinary bowlers as Trott played a mature knock showing his fellow comrades how to approach spin bowling.

Ian Bell fell to Saeed Ajmal twice in the match!

Playing spin is a special skill and a different art of batsmanship and if the English batsmen specially in Strauss, Bell and Pietersen don't learn this then the series can very well end in a whitewash with the English having to return home with their tails between their legs.

Time and time again I repeated that the though the rankings show that England are number one test team, they still aren't unless they come over to the sub-continent and win a couple of matches and brave over their spin worries. And it is this challenge that the team now faces against a new look Pakistan team that is looking to start on a clean slate and forget the spot-fixing saga. Though I expected England to lose against Pakistan, I never did expect it in this convincing fashion and the alarm bells ringing now might just be the start of a long, tiresome strife for the English team.

Can the English team pick themselves up?

Its just been one match, and England would be hoping that they can see off the spin threat in the second match, and level the series. However the question mark remains not will they but can they? I just wonder how successful Australia's wizard and English batsmen tormentor - Shane Warne would have been had he not played all those tests against the English.

The Perth Test Review

2012-01-17T21:26:00.000+05:30

Today is what was supposed to be the final day of the test match at the WACA sees no action as the game was all over two days ago, and here I am trying yet again to review another test match that India have lost in humiliating fashion. On a pitch with good bounce and having no demons, the Indian team capitulated for just 161 runs and from then on chased the match. Australia once again piled on the runs much to the misery of the Indians as David Warner hit a brilliant 180 knocking the wind out of the Indians. India again capitulated in the second innings suffering an innings and 37 runs defeat [SCORECARD].

The Indian Batting Surrender - India is always known to have a soft underbelly but the way the batting has capitulated this series is just appalling. Never in my wildest dreams would I have seen a batting line up with the stalwarts such as Sachin, Dravid, Sehwag and Laxman surrendering so easily to any team. It is a sad sight to behold and one that evokes many questions. Watching the pathetic display by the Indian batsmen, West Indies opener Chris Gayle has offered to help and tweeted,

"I'm waiting on clearance from BCCI to play in the 4th Test against Australia."

Kohli - the lone positive - Virat Kohli finally came into his own and managed to top score for India in both the innings. He looked a lot more relaxed and watching him flick the ball through mid-wicket n the second innings was one of the few things that was truly worth watching from the Indian perspective. The kid seems to have a bright future and if he can convert his starts into big scores then he has a long way to go wearing the whites.

Bulldog Warner - David Warner was the sledgehammer that knocked the life completely out of India at Perth. Having been dismissed for just 161, I'm sure Dhoni would have been wishing for a few early wickets. Unfortunately he got Warner who was true to his aggressive self and launched into the Indian bowling and tore it up. It was all beautiful and horrible at the same time watching as the opener with ease sent the leather to the boundary. Have Australia found their Sehwag?

Hilfy the Wrecker - If the Indian batting surrendered and collapsed, credit has to be given to the Aussie bowlers who kept a very tight line outside the off-stump. Ben Hilfenhaus was simply stunning and with 8 wickets next to his name I'm sure he is a very pleased man. Watching Hilfenhaus bowl was like having a knife at your skin. He always looked threatening and you just knew a wicket would fall soon and this series has proved more than a handful for the Indians.

3 - nil. - So the score now is 3 - nil and India stare at a possible whitewash. Will they be able to reverse the tide at Adelaide or is it further embarrassment for the men in blue?

Lets hope that that the team at least manages a draw at Adelaide.

Who said taping is only required for fielding?

2012-01-11T18:18:00.000+05:30

After Virat Kohli infamously did the one finger salute at the MCG and had 50% of his match fees taken away, another member of the Indian cricket team has come out and done the same.

This time Ishant Sharma showed the salute when a few locals were apparently sledging him as he was getting into the bus during the team's trip to the go-karting tracks.

Dhoni and the senior team management after careful consideration have decided to do their best to assist the members of the team stay out of trouble. According to sources Sehwag suggested that the two players' fingers be heavily taped so that they will not be able to show any despicable gestures. Captain MS Dhoni immediately agreed to the suggestion contrary to reports that Sehwag and Dhoni are fighting.

Who said that taping your fingers is only required for fielding? It can help keep you out of trouble. Zaheer Khan is reported to have said that if only they could tape Brad Haddin's mouth.

So it won't be a surprise if we see Ishant and Kohli heavily strapped and taped at WACA this Friday. If that does happen then it would very interesting to see how Ishant bowls with a heavily taped hand.

In other news, Rahul Dravid turns 39 years today! Here's wishing 'The Wall' a very happy birthday!

Haddin and Zaheer exchange Verbal volleys

2012-01-10T16:51:00.000+05:30

Aussie vice captain Brad Haddin has started the usual mind games as the teams gear up for the third test at Perth and has said that the Indian team 'break faster' than any other team.

India who have had a nightmare tour so far have lost both the tests till date in humiliating fashion and look like a rag torn outfit despite having a very formidable batting unit. Haddin on radio spoke of the Indian team and said,

"We know this side can be as fragile as any team in the world if things aren't going their way and they can turn on each other and the media turns on them pretty quick. We knew if we could keep them out there and put the numbers like we did on the board we knew we'd get the rewards because they break quicker than anyone in the world."

India who have lost their last 6 overseas tests do look weak. However calling the team fragile and easily breakable would be a mistake. Past India - Australia encounters have shown that. The Indian team might be struggling at the moment and going through a lean patch but calling them easily breakable is at your own risk. This team is one that thrives when their backs are against the walls and now trailing 2-nil, and with all odds against them, I'm sure that it would be just a matter of time before the team starts playing to its full potential and pose a challenge for the hosts.

Zaheer Khan who for the first time in his career has been fit long enough in an Australian tour to be available for selection at the WACA has hit back at Haddin saying,

"Brad Haddin should focus on his keeping. That looks really fragile to me. He needs to start moving."

Haddin has dropped three catches so far and has had a difficult time behind the stumps. Zaheer also dubbed Haddin as the Australian team's designated big mouth.

These tirades will have little meaning on Friday when the two teams clash on what according to the curator is supposed to be a pitch for the faster bowlers. Zaheer Khan however isn't flustered by that fact and said,

"Doesn't matter what kind of pitch it is, the distance between the wickets is going to remain 22 yards."

The Indian batsmen and bowlers would have their work cut out and I'm sure that we'll be seeing some major improvements in the Perth test. Zaheer Khan will have a huge role to play and hopefully Haddin will be made to eat humble pie.

Greatest catch ever? [VIDEO]

2012-01-08T20:20:00.000+05:30

Is this the greatest catch in the history of cricket? Perhaps. I can however I can assure you that this catch is the epitome of awesomeness!

The match is from New Zealand domestic HRV Twenty20 competition. The fielder who dives over the rope is Bevan Small. Small catches the ball in the air while crossing over the boundary rope, but manages to throw the ball out just before hitting the ground to Michael Mason who completes the catch. Interesting to note that Bevan Small who does all the work doesn't even get his name on the scorecard!

The Sydney Test Review

2012-01-07T21:37:00.000+05:30

Another humiliating defeat [SCORECARD] and its now the result of the series is almost carved in stone. India's batting and bowling both were pathetic this test and all credit must be given to the Aussie bowlers in the first innings who beautifully set up the match. However from the Indian perspective there are a few positives specially from the second innings as the famed Indian batting after 9 overseas innings managed to cross the score of 300 in a innings. Michael Clarke alone did that this test, though.

Pup finally grows up - After a struggling start to his captaincy honeymoon, Clarke finally seems to have finally come into his own and looks like a good leader and someone who will follow the long line of illustrious captains Australia has had. Also as a batsman he is going through a wonderful purple patch and his triple century was just breath taking. He did have the help of the Indian fielders but nevertheless Clarke was just brilliant and watching him bat was a treat despite the fact that meant that he was digging India's grave.

I'll take dog, I've been called worse so dog's a compliment.Michael Clarke replied when asked whether he will ever shed the nickname Pup. To uproarious laughter, Michael Hussey suggested "Dog".

Also I admire the way Clarke declared early despite the fact that he was 329 and could easily gone on to score more runs and make a few records and perhaps even break Lara's 400. But the fact that he refrained from doing so and declared as soon as Hussey hit 150, shows that he puts his role as a captain before as a batsman and that's a sign of a team player and one to look up to. Also like in 2007 Clarke caught a catch at second slip which was really a bump ball and this time there was a different result as Clarke decided not to appeal and has gained my respect and admiration.

Indian bowling. What bowling? - The Indian team looked like they couldn't pick a wicket even if their lives depended on it and after having Australia on the mat 37 for 3, the Indian bowling let go and Australia made merry scoring 622 runs for just the loss of a wicket. Credit must be given to the way Ponting, Clarke and Hussey batted and also to the fact that the wicket was a good batting track but the plain sad truth was that the Indian bowling was totally ineffective and I doubt if they could have gotten a fly out. It was just uninspired bowling and lacked intensity. Understandably the team was discouraged but the way they played was just pitiful. Skipper Dhoni and the fielders also let the bowlers down and India had 4 centurions with the ball with Yadav, Zaheer, Ashwin and Ishant all going over 100 runs.

Angry Young Virat Kohli - Virat Kohli has had a very hard tour so far and has failed with the bat in all his four outings and looks likely that he would be dropped for the Perth match, but the thing that caught my attention was the incident where Kohli flashed his middle finger at the crowd after they taunted him and started calling his mother and sister names. Touring Australia is always difficult and when the crowd says ugly things about people close to you and your team is doing horribly, you tend to get angry easily and find the need to vent your frustration, but as a professional Kohli should have refrained from making that gesture. Kohli is a highly talented kid and is all tipped to be the next captain of India, but I don't see that happening unless he stops this monkey business.

Pink! Pink! Pink! - The third day of the Sydney test which is always known as Jane McGrath Day which helps raise awareness and funds for breast cancer and the McGrath Foundation saw the entire crowd at the SCG dressed in pink and it was great to see everyone support a worthy cause. However one person stood out among them all and Brett Lee from his socks, shoes and to his hair was in pink and looked just...so pink!

Finding Form - This match certainly helped a few players find their rhythm and helped them regain their form. Ponting (134) and Hussey (150*) both who have been going to a dry spell helped themselves on a flat pitch brought up two majestic centuries. On the Indian side, Gambhir scored 83 in the second innings which is his highest in Australia and VVS Laxman who till now looked out of sorts also managed a half century.

Captain Dhoni's Aberrations - Dhoni whom I consider to be a decent captain showed otherwise this match and made some incomprehensible decisions. His captaincy was not only uninspired but also utter rubbish to say anything, In the first session of day 3, Dhoni bowled Ashwin having a deep point and not one time did the ball travel to Tendulkar fielding there. Now you can blame the bowlers, but what can they do if they do not get attacking field sets. With no catchers in position, how can one possibly expect to pick wickets. Dhoni should have realized that the defensive field set wasn't working and changed tactics when the Aussie batsmen were at ease and scoring at a fast rate of over 4 per over, but he didn't and Australia subsequently piled on 600+ runs. Now not only do we have a batting line up that is keen on capitulating and a bowling unit incapable of picking up wickets but a skipper who seems to have run out of ideas. Not always was Dhoni like this and I still remember him to be quite attacking when he first took over the reigns in 2007 but now he seems to have gone into a shell and must rediscover himself and reevaluate his role as the leader of the team.

So another loss and I just hope something happens so that it doesn't become a repeat of the 2011 English summer where we lost 4-nil.

7 things I wish happens in 2012

2012-01-02T14:26:00.002+05:30

Its a new year and here are a couple of things I wish happens in the world of cricket this year.

1.) Sachin Tendulkar's 100th century
It's been quite some time and I'm getting tired of waiting for the little master to hit this elusive century. Its just a tiny landmark, milestone but one that means a lot and hopefully this year he'll cross the boundary and not only hit his 100th century but a few more after that.

2.) Ending the DRS debate
I'm fed up with all the debate and confusion raging behind the DRS and its high time that the ICC sets down its foot and either implements it all together or does not. It just cannot be left the way it is now, but I guess this is far fetched considering the BCCI's stance against the DRS.

3.) Avenge the English for last summer
England routed India last summer and dethroned the team from its number one rank in test cricket. Those wounds are still fresh and I would like nothing better than revenge when the English team tour later this year.

4.) Retain the Border - Gavaskar trophy
India might be trailing 1-0 heading into the new year, but I still hope and pray that this Indian team comes back and wins the series and retains the Border -Gavaskar trophy. We'll know if this wish becomes a reality in the next couple of weeks.

5.) The number one rank in test cricket
I so wish that India will once again attain the highest level in test cricket. Very unlikely, but I can dream, can't I?

6.) Better scheduling
There is too much cricket and people all over the world are voicing this and I just hope this year will be a little different where the fans are given more importance and we don't have more meaningless ODIs and 2 test match series.

7.) The Wicket Post to reach half a million page hits
As I write this The Wicket Post has 152,234 page hits and surely half a million is achievable?

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T01:17:00.000+05:30

Here's wishing all the readers a very happy New Year!

'Poshin's World' is now 'The Wicket Post'

2011-12-31T10:00:00.001+05:30

It's been more than three amazing years since the birth of Poshin's World and now after 450 posts and over 1200 comments it's finally time for a change. And what better way to usher in the change than during the new year?

Poshin's World from hence forth will be known as The Wicket Post. Also I have purchased a domain so the new blog will now be found at http://www.thewicketpost.com/. The Wicket Post will have everything Poshin's World had and some new things.

I kindly request all readers to take a note of the change in the URL and the name of the blog and update your bookmarks and bloglists. Also do share this with your friends so they'll know where to find the blog.

Wish you a very blessed and prosperous 2012.

Thank You;

Best Regards,
Poshin David

Episode 13 - The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

2011-12-30T18:01:00.000+05:30

This is a very special year end episode of Verbal Slogs.

Recorded on 19th December 2011; Duration 40 minutes.

Description: The special year end episode of Verbal Slogs where a panel known as the League of Extraodinary Gentlemen consisting of 'Aussie' Ian Reid (The Baggy Green Blog), Jenin Devadass (an Indian cricket fan stuck in Japan), Shashank Kishore (an ESPN-Star correspondent), Michael Wagener (Statistics teacher and co-host) and Christopher David (host) look back at the cricket in the year 2011 and also talk about things to look forward in the upcoming year. This is one special episode you just don't want to miss.

Hosted by kiwi6.com file hosting.

Download mp3 - Free File Hosting.

Panelists - Ian Reid, Jenin Devadass, Shashank Kishore, Michael Wagener, and Christopher David

If you wish to download the podcast click here. You can also subscribe to it via iTunesor any other podcatchers.

Boxing Day Test Review

2011-12-29T20:09:00.001+05:30

Reviewing a match [SCORECARD] where the team you are supporting ends up on the losing side is always difficult but despite the loss, India have quite a few positives to take away. The happier side would defiantly be the Australian camp and they have managed to put up a stellar performance and would be hoping that things just get better in the new year.

India's ageing batting legends vs. Australia's young bowlers
That is what Harsha Bhogle described this series as and that is exactly what it has been the last 4 days. In the end the Australian young quicks came out on top and lead the score 1-nil but I'm sure that the Indian batting isn't bothered by that. They'll just get back into the nets and turn up next at Sydney trying to even the score. The result isn't surprising but the complete dominance of the Aussie bowlers was surprising. India have plenty to handle specially in the Man of the Match James Pattinson and Ben Hilfenhaus.

The difference a wagging tail makes
The biggest difference in the batting between the two teams has been the contribution made by the tail enders. In the first innings Australia from 214 for 6 recovered to 333 all out. That is 119 runs by the last 4 wickets. Likewise in the second innings the last 4 wickets for Australia added 92 runs. In total that is 211 runs added by the tail enders. Credit must be given to Brad Haddin and Mike Hussey who saw the tail through but 211 runs by your last 4 wickets tells you something about the batting ability of the Aussie bowlers and the incapability of the Indian bowling to warp the match up. India in the first innings added only 49 runs with their last 4 wickets thanks largely to Ashwin and 88 vain runs today in the second innings. That is a difference of 74 runs by the tail alone.

Bowlers paradise

The MCG was a bowlers day with 40 wickets falling within the completion of 4 days and bowlers from both sides shined. Pattinson was the biggest star and one who looked the most dangerous. Hilfenhaus and Siddle did provide Pattinson some very good support chipping away at the wickets. Hillfy's first innings 5 wicket haul was perhaps the turning point of the match. For India, Zaheer Khan is back to his usual self and with 7 wickets in the match, things look promising. Young Umesh Yadav also looks promising with his pace and bounce. Ashwin bowled long spells and looks like the ideal spin bowler for Aussie conditions. Ishant Sharma is no where as threatening as he was in 2007 and he needs to pull up his socks.

Old is gold

Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Mike Hussey and Ricky Ponting between themselves scored more than a third of the total runs at MCG. 39% of the runs to be exact. Ponting's two half centuries were central in Australia's victory as was Hussey's amazing contribution in the second innings. Dravid and Sachin looked the best among the Indian batsmen and if one of them had gone to get a big one then things might have been different. However VVS, Kohli, Gambhir and Dhoni better find some form with the willow, if India are to square the series at the SCG.

Game Review: Stick Cricket Super Sixes (iPhone)

2011-12-26T21:27:00.000+05:30

Review -

So the most famous online cricket game in now out for apple devices with a small twist in the game. Unlike before where you slog bowlers out of the ground, now you take on a machine. How convenient to let all our frustrations on a poor machine!

That is exactly what I thought but the damned machine made me lose my nerve very soon. It just doesn't play fair and with tricks up its sleeves, your bound to falter at one stage or the other. The game is the very same feel with just a different take.

How did I fare playing Super Sixes? -

I've played this game over 20 times and still haven't passed level 7! [Update - I finally did and the game does get better with golf balls, glow balls and my favorite invis-balls bowled at you.] I blame the machine... (I'm pretty good at stick cricket. At least I think so.) Still the new take with the spot light blinding you and the 60 seconds free hit are all refreshing.

Positives -
- Different take of the stick cricket game with new features.
- In depth stats and analysis.

Negatives -
- The crux of the game still remains the same and there really isn't much different from the small tinkering around by the makers.

Score - 5/10 [updated]

My Take -

So do I like this game? Well it's something to break your head over when you're bored and makes a good travel game. Is it better than the original stick cricket? Not one bit!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T01:05:00.000+05:30

Poshin's World wishes all its readers a very, very,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Episode 12 - The Border - Gavaskar Series Preview

2011-12-23T22:44:00.008+05:30

The penultimate episode of the year is here!

Recorded on 19th December 2011; Duration 41 minutes.

Description: In this episode, Ian Reid of The Baggy Green Blog joins Michael and me to preview the Border - Gavaskar series between India and Australia and also review the recently concluded test series between Australia and New Zealand. As usual in stats class, Michael presents some very interesting figures.

Hosted by kiwi6.com file hosting.
Download mp3 - Free File Hosting.

Panelists - Ian Reid, Michael Wagener, and Christopher David

If you wish to download the podcast click here. You can also subscribe to it via iTunesor any other podcatchers.

The Big Bash makes a Splash

2011-12-16T22:30:00.002+05:30

The inaugural match of the Australian T20 league based on the IPL, the KFC Big Bash League (BBL) took place today and it looks to be a decent tournament that has the ability to become big. I enjoyed watching the first match between the Sydney Sixers and Brisbane Heat today [SCORECARD] and with the SCG having sold some 14K tickets without any big Indian names, I think that is a positive thing to look at. The match was of good quality and had old retired team-mates against each other, young ones making their debuts, the stars of Australian cricket and some good T20 specialist overseas players.

I loved the Brisbane Heat colours and reminded me of the Carolina Panthers colours in the NFL. The Sixers, pink/purple looked a little too bright but I think that is the team I would be backing this tournament, with legends such as Lee in it. Today's match showed us what this BBL can offer and I'm looking forward to it.

One of the moments that caught my attention today was Brett Lee steaming in and bowling a steep, mean bouncer that hit McCullum right between the nose cutting the skin open leaving him stunned and red in blood. It wasn't an ideal moment of cricket watching McCullum being helped off the field as he was gushing a red fountain. But after a few minutes, the same McCullum returned to the field with 5 stitches on his face. He didn't do much with the bat, but showed nerves of steel walking out to bat again. He is one tough rooster or rather a tough kiwi.

Another thing that caught my attention was that our perception that T20 was a young man's game was all proven wrong today. A 40 year old Stuart MacGill played and showed that he still has the magic. His very first ball ripped right across the pitch. MacGill managed to get his mate, Hayden and the old 'grandpa' with white hair in the pink jersey was all smiles.

So that is what BBL is going to be all about. Some youngsters, some old gentlemen, and some good cricket. So all in all, the Big Bash looks great and after today's splash, I can say there are bigger ones to come in the future.

When the wall spoke

2011-12-16T12:29:00.001+05:30

A couple of nights ago, one of cricket's greatest minds and perhaps India's greatest test player gave an outstanding speech at the annual Sir Donald Bradman Oration in Australia. For a man who often shied from the public light and never spoke out in public so freely, he certainly did an excellent job here. I think this is perhaps one of those very very rare times when Dravid spoke not with a willow in his hand but standing in front of a microphone.

Here's the speech if you haven't seen it already. I can tell you that it is more than worth it.

Transcript of the entire speech -

Thank you for inviting me to deliver the Bradman Oration; the respect and the regard that came with the invitation to speak tonight, is deeply appreciated.
I realise a very distinguished list of gentlemen have preceded me in the ten years that the Bradman Oration has been held. I know that this Oration is held every year to appreciate the life and career of Sir Don Bradman, a great Australian and a great cricketer. I understand that I am supposed to speak about cricket and issues in the game - and I will.
Yet, but before all else, I must say that I find myself humbled by the venue we find ourselves in.
Even though there is neither a pitch in sight, nor stumps or bat and balls, as a cricketer, I feel I stand on very sacred ground tonight.
When I was told that I would be speaking at the National War Memorial, I thought of how often and how meaninglessly, the words `war`, `battle`, `fight` are used to describe cricket matches.
Yes, we cricketers devote the better part of our adult lives to being prepared to perform for our countries, to persist and compete as intensely as we can - and more.
This building, however, recognises the men and women who lived out the words - war, battle, fight - for real and then gave it all up for their country, their lives left incomplete, futures extinguished.
The people of both our countries are often told that cricket is the one thing that brings Indians and Australians together.
That cricket is our single common denominator.
India`s first Test series as a free country was played against Australia in November 1947, three months after our independence.
Yet the histories of our countries are linked together far more deeply than we think and further back in time than 1947.We share something else other than cricket. Before they played the first Test match against each other, Indians and Australians fought wars together, on the same side.
In Gallipoli, where, along with the thousands of Australians, over 1300 Indians also lost their lives.
In World War II, there were Indian and Australian soldiers in El Alamein, North Africa, in the Syria-Lebanon campaign, in Burma, in the battle for Singapore.
Before we were competitors, Indians and Australians were comrades. So it is only appropriate that we are here this evening at the Australian War Memorial, where along with celebrating cricket and cricketers, we remember the unknown soldiers of both nations.
It is however, incongruous, that I, an Indian, happen to be the first cricketer from outside Australia, invited to deliver the the Bradman Oration.
I don`t say that only because Sir Don once scored a hundred before lunch at Lord`s and my 100 at Lord`s this year took almost an entire day.
But more seriously, Sir Don played just five Tests against India; that was in the first India-Australia series in 1947-48, which was to be his last season at home. He didn`t even play in India, and remains the most venerated cricketer in India not to have played there.
We know that he set foot in India though, in May 1953, when on his way to England to report on the Ashes for an English newspaper, his plane stopped in Calcutta airport. There were said to be close to a 1000 people waiting to greet him; as you know, he was a very private person and so got into an army jeep and rushed into a barricaded building, annoyed with the airline for having `breached confidentiality.`
That was all Indians of the time saw of Bradman who remains a mythical figure.
For one generation of fans in my country, those who grew up in the 1930s, when India was still under British rule, Bradman represented a cricketing excellence that belonged to somewhere outside England. To a country taking its first steps in Test cricket, that meant something.
His success against England at that time was thought of as our personal success. He was striking one for all of us ruled by the common enemy. Or as your country has so poetically called them, the Poms.
There are two stories that I thought I should bring to your notice. On June 28, 1930, the day Bradman scored 254 at Lord`s against England, was also the day Jawaharlal Nehru was arrested by the police. Nehru was, at the time, one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian independence movement and later, independent India`s first Prime Minister. The coincidence of the two events, was noted by a young boy KN Prabhu, who was both nationalist, cricket fan and later became independent India`s foremost cricket writer. In the 30s, as Nehru went in and out of jail, Bradman went after the England bowling and for K N Prabhu, became a kind of avenging angel.
There`s another story I`ve heard about the day in 1933, when the news reached India that Bradman`s record for the highest Test score of 334 had been broken by Wally Hammond. As much as we love our records, they say some Indian fans at the time were not exactly happy.
Now, there`s a tale that a few even wanted to wear black bands to mourn the fact that this precious record that belonged to Australia - and by extension, us - had gone back. To an Englishman. We will never know if this is true, if black bands were ever worn, but as journalists sometimes tell me, why let facts get in the way of a good story.
My own link with Bradman was much like that of most other Indians - through history books, some old video footage and his wise words. About leaving the game better than you found it. About playing it positively, as Bradman, then a selector, told Richie Benaud before the 1960-61 West Indies tour of Australia. Of sending a right message out from cricket to its public. Of players being temporary trustees of a great game.
While there may be very little similarity in our records or our strike rates or our fielding - and I can say this only today in front of all of you - I am actually pleased that I share something very important with Sir Don. He was, primarily, like me, a No.3 batsman. It is a tough, tough job.
We`re the ones who make life easier for the kings of batting, the middle order that follows us. Bradman did that with a bit more success and style than I did. He dominated bowling attacks and put bums on seats ,if I bat for any length of time I am more likely to bore people to sleep. Still, it is nice to have batted for a long time in a position, whose benchmark is, in fact, the benchmark for batsmanship itself.
Before he retired from public life in his 80s, I do know that Bradman watched Sunil Gavaskar`s generation play series in Australia. I remember the excitement that went through Indian cricket when we heard the news that Bradman had seen Sachin Tendulkar bat on TV and thought he batted like him. It was more than mere approval, it was as if the great don had finally, passed on his torch. Not to an Aussie or an Englishman or a West Indian. But to one of our own.
One of the things, Bradman said has stayed in my mind. That the finest of athletes had, along with skill, a few more essential qualities: to conduct their life with dignity, with integrity, with courage and modesty. All this he believed, were totally compatible with pride, ambition, determination and competitiveness. Maybe those words should be put up in cricket dressing rooms all over the world.
As all of you know, Don Bradman passed away on February 25, 2001, two days before the India v Australia series was to begin in Mumbai. Whenever an important figure in cricket leaves us, cricket`s global community pauses in the midst of contests and debates, to remember what he represented of us, what he stood for and Bradman was the pinnacle. The standard against which all Test batsmen must take guard.
The series that followed two days after Bradman`s death later went on to become what many believe was one of the greatest in cricket. It is a series, I`d like to believe, he would have enjoyed following.
A fierce contest between bat and ball went down to the final session of the final day of the final Test. Between an Australian team who had risen to their most imposing powers and a young Indian team determined to rewrite some chapters of its own history. The 2001 series contained high-quality cricket from both sides and had a deep impact on the careers of those who played a part in it. The Australians were near unbeatable in the first half of the new decade, both home and away.
As others floundered against them, India became the only team that competed with them on even terms.
India kept answering questions put to them by the Australians and asking a few themselves. The quality demanded of those contests, sometimes acrimonious, sometimes uplifting, made us, the Indian team, grow and rise. As individuals, we were asked to play to the absolute outer limits of our capabilities and we often extended them.
Now, whenever India and Australia meet, there is expectation and anticipation - and as we get into the next two months of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, players on both sides will want to deliver their best.
When we toured in 2007-08, I thought it was going to be my last tour of Australia. The Australians thought it was going to be the last time they would be seeing Sachin Tendulkar on their shores. He received warm standing ovations from wonderful crowds all around the country.
Well, like a few, creaking Terminators, we`re back. Older, wiser and I hope improved.
The Australian public will want to stand up to send Sachin off all over again this time. But I must warn you, given how he`s been playing these days, there are no guarantees about final goodbyes.
In all seriousness, though, the cricket world is going to stop and watch Australia and India. It is Australia`s first chance to defend their supremacy at home following defeat in the 2010 Ashes and a drawn series against New Zealand. It is India`s opportunity to prove that the defeat to England in the summer was an aberration that we will bounce back from. If both teams look back to their last 2007-08 series in Australia, they will know that they should have done things a little differently in the Sydney Test. But I think both sides have moved on from there; we`ve played each other twice in India already and relations between the two teams are much better than they have been as far as I can remember.
Thanks to the IPL, Indians and Australians have even shared dressing rooms. Shane Watson`s involvement in Rajasthan, Mike Hussey`s role with Chennai to mention a few, are greatly appreciated back home.
And even Shane Warne likes India now. I really enjoyed played alongside him at Rajasthan last season and can confidently report to you that he is not eating imported baked beans any more.
In fact,looking at him, it seems, he is not eating anything. It is often said that cricketers are ambassadors for their country; when there`s a match to be won, sometimes we think that is an unreasonable demand. After all, what would career diplomats do if the result of a Test series depended on them, say, walking? But, as ties between India and Australia have strengthened and our contests have become more frequent, we realise that as Indian players, we stand for a vast, varied, often unfathomable and endlessly fascinating country.
At the moment, to much of the outside world, Indian cricket represents only two things - money and power. Yes, that aspect of Indian cricket is a part of the whole, but it is not the complete picture. As a player, as a proud and privileged member of the Indian cricket team, I want to say that, this one-dimensional, often cliched image relentlessly repeated, is not what Indian cricket is really all about. I cannot take all of you into the towns and villages our players come from, and introduce you to their families, teachers, coaches, mentors and teammates who made them international cricketers.
I cannot take all of you here to India to show you the belief, struggle, effort and sacrifice from hundreds of people that runs through our game.
As I stand here today, it is important for me to bring Indian cricket and its own remarkable story to you. I believe it is very necessary that cricketing nations try to find out about each other, try to understand each other and the different role cricket plays in different countries, because ours is, eventually, a very small world.
In India, cricket is a buzzing, humming, living entity going through a most remarkable time, like no other in our cricketing history.In this last decade, the Indian team represents more than ever before, the country we come from - of people from vastly different cultures, who speak different languages, follow different religions, belong to all classes of society.
I went around our dressing room to work out how many languages could be spoken in there and the number I have arrived at is: 15 including Shona and Akrikaans.
Most foreign captains, I think, would baulk at the idea. But, when I led India, I enjoyed it, I marvelled at the range of difference and the ability of people from so many different backgrounds to share a dressing room, to accept, accomodate and respect that difference. In a world growing more insular, that is a precious quality to acquire, because it stays for life and helps you understand people better, understand the significance of the other.
Let me tell you one of my favourite stories from my under-19 days, when the India under-19 team played a match against the New Zealand junior team.
We had two bowlers in the team, one from the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh - he spoke only Hindi, which is usually a link language for players from all over India, ahead even of English.
It should have been alright, except the other bowler came from Kerala, in the deep south, and he spoke only the state`s regional language, Malayalam. Now even that should have been okay as they were both bowlers and could bowl simultaneous spells.
Yet in one game, they happened to come together at the crease. In the dressing room, we were in splits, wondering how they were going to manage the business of a partnership, calling for runs or sharing the strike.
Neither man could understand a word of what the other was saying and they were batting together. This could only happen in Indian cricket. Except that these two guys came up with a 100-run partnership. Their common language was cricket and that worked out just fine.
The everyday richness of Indian cricket lies right there, not in the news you hear about million-dollar deals and television rights. When I look back over the 25 years I`ve spent in cricket, I realise two things. First, rather alarmingly, that I am the oldest man in the game, older to even Sachin by three months.
More importantly, I realise that Indian cricket actually reflects our country`s own growth story during this time.
Cricket is so much a part of our national fabric that as India - its economy, society and popular culture - transformed itself, so did our most-loved sport.
As players we are appreciative beneficiaries of the financial strength of Indian cricket, but we are more than just mascots of that economic power.
The caricature often made of Indian cricket and its cricketers in the rest of the world is that we are pampered superstars. Overpaid, underworked, treated like a cross between royalty and rock stars.
Yes, the Indian team has an enormous, emotional following and we do need security when we get around the country as a group. It is also where we make it a point to always try and conduct ourselves with composure and dignity. On tour, I must point out, we don`t attack fans or do drugs or get into drunken theatrics. And at home, despite what some of you may have heard, we don`t live in mansions with swimming pools.
The news about the money may well overpower all else, but along with it, our cricket is full of stories the outside world does not see.
Television rights generated around Indian cricket, are much talked about. Let me tell you what the television - around those much sought-after rights - has done to our game.
A sport that was largely played and patronised by princes and businessmen in traditional urban centres, cities like Bombay, Bangalore, Chennai, Baroda, Hyderabad, Delhi - has begun to pull in cricketers from everywhere.
As the earnings from Indian cricket have grown, in the past 2 decades, mainly through television, the BCCI has spread revenues to various pockets in the country and improved where we play. The field is now spread wider than it ever has been, the ground covered by Indian cricket, has shifted.
27 teams compete in our national championship the Ranji Trophy. Last season, Rajasthan, a state best known for it`s palaces, fortresses and tourism won the Ranji Trophy title for the first time in it`s history. The national one day championship also had a first time winner, in the newly formed state of Jharkand where our captain MS Dhoni comes from.
The growth and scale of cricket on our television was the engine of this population shift. Like Bradman was the boy from Bowral, a stream of Indian cricketers now come from what you could call India`s outback.
Zaheer Khan belongs to the Maharashtra heartland, from a town that didn`t have even one proper turf wicket. He could have been an instrumentation engineer but was drawn to cricket through TV and modelled his bowling by practicing in front of the mirror on his cupboard at home, and first bowled with a proper cricket ball at the age of 17.
One day out of nowhere, a boy from a village in Gujarat turned up as India`s fastest bowler. After Munaf Patel made his debut for India, the road from the nearest railway station to his village had to be improved because journalists and TV crews from the cities kept landing up there.
We are delighted that Umesh Yadav didn`t become a policeman like he was planning and turned to cricket instead. He is the first cricketer from the Central Indian first-class team of Vidarbha to play Test cricket.
Virender Sehwag, it shouldn`t surprise you, belongs to the wild west just outside Delhi. He had be enrolled in a college which had a good cricket programme and travel 84kms every day by bus to get to practice and matches.
Every player in this room wearing an India blazer has a story like this.
Here, ladies and gentlemen, is the heart and soul of Indian cricket. Playing for India completely changes our lives. The game has given us a chance to pay back our debt to all those who gave of their time, energy, resources for us to be better cricketers: we can build new homes for our parents, get out siblings married off in style, give our families very comfortable lives.
The Indian cricket team is in fact, India itself, in microcosm. A sport that was played first by princes, then their subordinates, then the urban elite, is now a sport played by all of India.
Cricket, as my two under-19 teammates proved, is India`s most widely-spoken language. Even Indian cinema has its regional favourites; a movie star in the south may not be popular in the north. But a cricketer loved everywhere.
It is, also, a very tough environment to grow up in - criticism can be severe, responses to victory and defeat extreme, there are invasions of privacy and stones have been thrown at our homes after some defeats.
It takes time getting used to, extreme reactions can fill us with anger. But every cricketer realises at some stage of his career, that the Indian cricket fan is best understood by remembering the sentiment of the majority, not the actions of a minority.
One of the things that has always lifted me as a player was looking out of the team bus when we travelled somewhere in India. When people see the Indian bus going by, see some of us sitting with our curtains drawn back, it always amazes me how much they light up.
There is an instantaneous smile, directed not just at the player they see - but at the game that we play that, for whatever reason, means something to people`s lives. Win or lose, the man on the street will smile and give you a wave.
After India won the World Cup this year, our players were not congratulated as much as they were thanked by people they ran into. "You have given us everything," they were told, "all of us have won." Cricket in India now stands not just for sport, but possibility, hope, opportunities.
On our way to the Indian team, we know of so many of our teammates some of whom may have been equally or more talented than those sitting here, who missed out. When I started out, for a young Indian, cricket was the ultimate gamble - all or nothing, no safety nets. No second chances for those without an education or a college degree or second careers. Indian cricket`s wealth now means a wider pool of well paid cricketers even at first-class level.
For those of us who make it to the Indian team, cricket is not merely our livelihood, it is a gift we have been given. Without the game, we would just be average people leading average lives. As Indian cricketers, our sport has given us the chance do something worthwhile with our lives. How many people could say that?
This is the time Indian cricket should be flowering; we are the world champions in the short game, and over the space of the next 12 months should be involved in a tight contest with Australia, South Africa and England to determine which one of us are the world`s strongest Test team.
Yet I believe this is also a time for introspection within our game, not only in India, but all over the world. We have been given some alerts and responding to them quickly is the smart thing to do.
I was surprised a few months ago to see the lack of crowds in an ODI series featuring India. By that I don`t mean the lack of full houses, I think it was the sight of empty stands I found somewhat alarming.
India played its first one-day international at home in November 1981 when I was nine. Between then and now India have played 227 ODIs at home; the October five-match series against England, was the first time that the grounds have not been full for an ODI featuring the Indian team.
In the summer of 1998, I played in a one-dayer against Kenya in Kolkata and the Eden Gardens was full. Our next game was held in the 48 degree heat of Gwalior and the stands were heaving.
The October series against England was the first one at home after India`s World Cup win. It was called the `revenge` series meant to wipe away the memory of a forgettable tour of England. India kept winning every game, and yet the stands did not fill up. Five days after a 5-0 victory, 95,000 turned up to watch the India`s first Formula One race.
A few weeks later, I played in a Test match against the West Indies in Calcutta, in front of what was the lowest turnout in Eden Gardens` history. Yes we still wanted to win and our intensity did not dip. But at the end of the day, we are performers, entertainers and we love an audience. The audience amplifies everything you are doing, the bigger the crowd the bigger the occasion, its magnitude, its emotion. When I think about the Eden Gardens crowds this year, I wonder what the famous Calcutta Test of 2001 would have felt like with 50,000 people less watching us.
Australia and South Africa played an exciting and thrilling Test series recently and two great Test matches produced some fantastic performances from players of both teams, but was sadly played in front of sparse crowds.
It is not the numbers Test players need, it is the atmosphere of a Test that every player wants to revel in and draw energy from; my first reaction to the lack of crowds for cricket was that there had been a lot of cricket and so perhaps, a certain amount of spectator-fatigue.
That is too simplistic a view; it`s the easy thing to say but might not be the only thing.
The India v England ODI series had no context, because the two countries had played each other in four Tests and five ODIs just a few weeks before. When India and the West Indies played ODIs a month after that, the grounds were full but this time matches were played in smaller venues that didn`t host too much international cricket.
Maybe our clues are all there and we must remain vigilant. Unlike Australia or England, Indian cricket has never had to compete with other sports for a share of revenues, mindspace or crowd attendance at international matches.
The lack of crowds may not directly impact on revenues or how important the sport is to Indians, but we do need to accept that there has definitely been a change in temperature over, I think, the last two years.
Whatever the reasons are - maybe it is too much cricket or too little by way of comfort for spectators. The fan has sent us a message and we must listen. This is not mere sentimentality. Empty stands do not make for good television. Bad television can lead to a fall in ratings, the fall in ratings will be felt by media planners and advertisers` looking elsewhere.
If that happens, it is hard to see television rights around cricket being as sought after as they have always been in the last 15 years. And where does that leave everyone? I`m not trying to be an economist or doomsday prophet - this is just how I see it.
Let us not be so satisfied with the present, with deals and finances in hand that we get blindsided. Everything that has given cricket its power and influence in the world of sports has started from that fan in the stadium. They deserve our respect and let us not take them for granted.
Disrespecting fans is disrespecting the game. The fans have stood by our game through everything. When we play, we need to think of them. As players, the balance between competitiveness and fairness can be tough but it must be found.
If we stand up for the game`s basic decencies, it will be far easier to tackle its bigger dangers - whether it is finding short cuts to easy money or being lured by the scourge of spot-fixing and contemplating any involvement with the betting industry.
Cricket`s financial success means it will face threats from outside the game and keep facing them. The last two decades have proved this over and over again. The internet and modern technology may just end up being a step ahead of every anti-corruption regulation in place in the game. As players, the one way we can stay ahead for the game, is if we are willing to be monitored and regulated closely.
Even if it means giving up a little bit of freedom of movement and privacy.
If it means undergoing dope tests, let us never say no. If it means undergoing lie-detector tests, let us understand the technology, what purpose it serves and accept it.
Now lie-detectors are by no means perfect but they could actually help the innocent clear their names. Similarly, we should not object to having our finances scrutinised if that is what is required.
When the first anti-corruption measures were put into place, we did moan a little bit about being accredited and depositing our cell phones with the manager. But now, we must treat it like we do airport security because we know it is for our own good and our own security.
Players should be ready to give up a little personal space and personal comfort for this game which has given us so much. If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.
Other sports have borrowed from cricket`s anti-corruption measures to set up their own ethical governance programmes and we must take pride in belonging to a sport that is professional and progressive.
One of the biggest challenges that the game must respond today, I believe, is charting out a clear roadmap for the three formats.We now realise that the sport`s three formats cannot be played in equal numbers - that will only throw scheduling and the true development of players completely off gear.
There is a place for all three formats, though, we are the only sport I can think of which has three versions. Cricket must treasure this originality. These three versions require different skills, skills that have evolved, grown, changed over the last four decades, one impacting on the other.
Test cricket is the gold standard, it is the form the players want to play.
The 50-over game is the one that had kept cricket`s revenues alive for more than three decades now. Twenty20 has come upon us and it is the format people, the fans want to see.
Cricket must find a middle path, it must scale down this mad merry-go-round that teams and players find themselves in: heading off for two-Test tours and seven-match ODI series with a few Twenty20s thrown in. Test cricket deserves to be protected; it is what the world`s best know they will to be judged by.
Where I come from, nation versus nation is what got people interested in cricket in the first place. When I hear the news that a country is playing without some of its best players, I always wonder, what do their fans think?
People may not be able to turn up to watch Test cricket but everyone follows the scores. We may not fill 65,000 capacity stadiums for Test matches, but we must actively fight to get as many as we can in, to create a Test match environment that the players and the fans feed off. Anything but the sight of Tests played on empty grounds. For that, we have got to play Test cricket that people can watch.
I don`t think day-night Tests or a Test championship should be dismissed.
In March of last year I played a day-night first-class game in Abu Dhabi for the MCC - and my experience from that was that day-night Tests is an idea seriously worth exploring.
There may be some challenges in places where there is dew but the visibility and durability of the pink cricket ball was not an issue.
Similarly, a Test championship with every team and player driving themselves to be winners of a sought after title seems like it would have a context to every game.
Keeping Test`s alive, may mean different innovations in different countries - maybe taking it to smaller cities, playing it in grounds with smaller capacities like New Zealand has thought of doing, maybe reviving some old venues in the West Indies, like the old Recreation Ground in Antigua.
When I was around seven years old, I remember my father taking a Friday off so that we could watch three days of Test cricket together. On occasions he couldn`t, I would accompany one of his friends, just to soak in a day of Test cricket and watch the drama slowly unfold.
What we have to do is find a way to ensure that Test matches fit into 21st century life, through timing, environments, the venues they are held in. I am still convinced it can be done, even in our fast-moving world with a short attention span.
We will often get told that Test matches don`t make financial sense, but no one ever fell in love with Test cricket because they wanted to be a businessman. Not everything of value comes at a price. There is a proposal doing the rounds, about scrapping the 50-over game completely. I am not sure I agree with that - I certainly know that the 50-over game helped us innovate strokes in our batting which we were then able to take into Test matches. We all know that the 50-over game has been responsible for improving fielding standards all over the world.
The future may well lie in playing one-day internationals centred around ICC events, like the Champions Trophy and the World Cups. This would ensure that all 50-over matches would build up for those tournaments.
That will cut back the number of one-day internationals played every year but at least those matches will have a context. Since about, I think 1985, people have been saying that there is too much meaningless one-day cricket.

Maybe it`s finally time to do something about it. The Twenty20 game as we know has as many critics as it has supporters in the public. Given that an acceptable strike rate in T20 these days is about 120, I should probably complain about it the most. The crowd and revenue numbers though, tell us that if we don`t handle Twenty20 correctly, we may well have more and more private players stepping in to offer not just slices of pie, but maybe even bigger pies themselves.
So I`ll re-iterate what I`ve just said very quickly because balancing three formats is important:
We have Test cricket like we have always had, nation versus nation, but carefully scheduled to attract crowds and planned fairly so that every Test playing country get its fair share of Tests. And playing for a championship or a cup not just a ranking .
The 50-overs format focussed around on fewer, significant multi-nation ICC events like the Champions trophy and the World cup. In the four-year cycle between World Cups, plan the ODI calendar and devise rankings around these few important events. Anything makes more sense than 7-match ODI series.
The best role for Twenty20 is as a domestic competition through official leagues which will make it financially attractive for cricketers. That could also keep cricket viable in countries where it fights for space and attention.
Because the game is bigger than us all, we must think way ahead of how it stands today. Where do we want it to be in the year 2020? Or say in 2027, when it will be 150 years since the first Test match was played. If you think about it, cricket has been with us longer than the modern motor car, it existed before modern air travel took off.
As much as cricket`s revenues are important to its growth, its traditions and its vibrancy are necessary parts of its progress in the future. We shouldn`t let either go because we played too much of one format and too little of the other.
Professionalism has given cricketers of my generation privileged lives, and we know it, even though often you may often hear us whining about burn-out and travel and the lack of recovery time.
Whenever we begin to get into that mindset, it`s good to remember a piece of Sachin`s conversation with Bradman. Sachin told us that he had asked Sir Don how he had mentally prepared for big games, what his routines were.
Sir Don said, that well, before a game, he would go to work and after the game, go back to work. Whenever a cricketer feels a whinge, coming on, that would be good to remember.
Before I conclude, I also want to talk briefly about an experience I have often had over the course of my career. It is not to do with individuals or incidents, but one I believe is important to share.
I have sometimes found myself in the middle of a big game, standing at slip or even at the non-strikers end and suddenly realised that everything else has vanished.
At that moment, all that exists is the contest and the very real sense of the joy that comes from playing the game.
It is an almost meditative experience where you reconnect with the game just like you did years ago, when you first began. When you hit your first boundary, took the first catch, scored your first century, or were involved in a big victory.
It lasts for a very fleeting passage of time, but it is a very precious instant and every cricketer should hang on to it.I know it is utterly fanciful to expect professional cricketers to play the game like amateurs; but the trick I believe is taking the spirit of the amateur - of discovery, of learning, of pure joy, of playing by the rules - into our profession.
Taking it to practice or play, even when there`s an epidemic of white-line fever breaking out all over the field. In every cricketer there lies a competitor who hates losing and yes, winning matters. But it is not the only thing that matters when you play cricket.
How it is played is as important for every member of every team because every game we play leaves a footprint in cricket`s history. We must never forget that. What we do as professionals is easily carried over into the amateur game, in every way - batting, bowling, fielding, appealing, celebration, dissent, argument. In the players of 2027, we will see a reflection of this time and of ourselves and it had better not annoy or anguish us 50 year-olds.
As the game`s custodians, it is important we are not tempted by the short-term gains of the backward step. We can be remembered for being the generation that could take the giant stride.
Thank you for the invitation to address all of you tonight and your attention.

The Destroyer of Bowlers!

2011-12-08T21:23:00.001+05:30

Virender Sehwag scored the highest score in ODI history as he raced to a brilliant double century - 219 runs of just 149 balls with 25 fours and 7 sixes! Respect.

True Legend!

I'll just quote Chris Gayle because I think that it best describes this man who torments the bowlers with a smile.

"Well I did watch some of that innings by Viru... Brilliant striking!! Congrats on your 219... That's child abuse! [As] The Mask would say, Smoking!"

Enough said.

And finally if you think you've had a hard day at the office just look at the West Indian bowler's figures.

Srikkanth gets it all mixed up!

2011-12-06T19:38:00.001+05:30

Mithun has been announced as the replacement for Praveen Kumar for the Australian tour and have named comebck man, Irfan Pathan for the final two ODIs against the Windies. Now isn't that mixed up? It's supposed to be Mithun for the two ODIs and Pathan for the Aussie tour.

A reporter wanting to get to the bottom of this conspiracy caught up with the chairman of the selection panel, Krishnamachari Srikkanth and below is their conversation.

Reporter (R): So sir, are you sure you haven't mixed up the names, Mithun and Irfan Pathan?
Srikkanth (S): No machan. It is perfectly correct only. You only are wrong. We selected Mithun for the final two ODIs against the West Indians and Yusuf Pathan for the Australian tour.
R: But sir, that is not what you announced.
S: What do you mean? That only I said to everyone.
R: No sir. You said that Mithun was selected for the Australian tour and that Irfan Pathan is there for the final two ODIs.
S: No...no...you are mistaken. I said correctly only. Now why would I announce Irfan Pathan in the team? I said Yusuf Pathan, man. You know....his brother.
R: I'm sorry sir, but that is not what you said. And why is Yusuf Pathan in the mix? Its Irfan Pathan.
S: What is wrong, machan? You should pay more attention when I speak in the press conference. And I find your love for Irfan Pathan disturbing.
R: But sir! He is in terrific form! He should have been selected for the tour down under!
S: What, man, are you saying? I said, no...Yusuf is there. Yusuf Patha, Irfan Pathan...they all are Pathan only.
R: ummm.....(*scratches his head*) yes sir. They are both Pathan only.
S: So what is the problem, now?
R: But sir, that is not what you announced. You said Mithun is going for Australia.
S: Poda...that and all I wouldn't have said.
R: But you did sir! You did! I have the proof right, here!
S: Ayyyooo! This is all a big mistake....I mean part of my plan....we want the best team for India and think Mithun will do good in Australia.
R: But then what about Irfan Pathan?
S: What about him?
R: He should be the one going to Australia!
S: No machan. Like I said, Mithun goes to Australia and Yusuf plays the ODIs.
R: Why this kolaveri? (*the reporter now is contemplating suicide*)
S: So you want my autograph,da? I'll sign for you.
R: arrrrrgghhhhhh! (*runs for his life*)

We've got nothing more to say after that.

Ashwin and the one run syndrome

2011-11-30T18:24:00.001+05:30

Ravichandran Ashwin who came under fire during the final day of the Mumbai test for failing to run a second when he possibly could have and ensured an Indian victory. Yesterday in the first ODI the same happened as he failed to run a second run that was clearly on and was run out.

India eventually went onto win the match by a wicket [SCORECARD] thanks to a brilliant half century by Rohit Sharma. Rohit Sharma was all grace yesterday and looked to be in fine touch, and it was sad to see him get out just when India were so close to the finish line.

This article is still about the Tamil Nadu boy who has been diagnosised with the dangerous case of 'the one run syndrome'. Here are a couple of things Ashwin will or will not do in life due to his one run syndrome.

1.) Ashwin will never get drunk cause he'll always stop after just one drink.
3.) Ashwin will never number '2' when jotting down points.
4.) He will never grow fat and put on extra pounds as he'll never go for a second serving.
5.) The newly married, Ashwin will have just one child.
6.) A young, Ashwin once ran for the school cabinet and won. After his tenure got over, he decided not to run for a second term.
7.) He will never ever take a second glance at a pretty girl walking by. One glance completed is more than sufficient.
and finally the biggest one that concerns us,
8.) Ravichandran Ashwin will never run a second run.

So now do we have a doctor in the house who can help this man suffering from this ailment?

The Big Deal with Sachin's 100th 100

2011-11-28T22:01:00.000+05:30

Sachin Tendulkar has always been in the limelight when it comes to records and now with 99 international centuries to his name, he is just one short of becoming the first man with such an achievement. A huge achievement and it is one that will probably stand as a significant monument such as Bradman's average in the chronicles of the game. However in chasing this glory are we forgetting that 100 is just a number and that there are more important things?

Indians are always astounded by facts and figures and if you want to impress an Indian, all you have to do is sound confident and state some numbers and he will think you to be very wise, that is until he figures out that those numbers have little or no meaning. But jokes apart, Indians love numbers and that is why records of individual players are celebrated in this country as much as a win or sometimes perhaps even more. Even I do this and if you ask me how many ATP career tournament Federer has won, and I'll reply 70 from the top of my head or if you ask me how many test centuries Dravid has, I'll reply 36 without blinking an eye. That is how much these numbers mean to the Indians and it is no wonder that we anxiously wait for Sachin's elusive century.

Sachin Tendulkar in India is an icon beyond what any words can describe. If he was to run for parliament, people would elect him and likewise if he does a small cameo in a flop movie, you can bet yourself that the movie will be one of the biggest earners that year. That is the magic that one associates with Tendulkar and this century of centuries is just another feather in his cap which will be cherished every Indian as a national artifact. Whenever he bats nowadays people wait and even I hold my breath. He is so close yet so far away.

That was the heart break in Mumbai a couple of days ago when he fell just six runs short. I'm sure had someone listened in, they would have noticed India going quiet when Sammy pouched that catch. Such is the love and admiration for this man that people don't just expect him to reach that milestone but demand that he does! They all know its just a matter of time.

With the nation waiting for the next best thing in Indian cricket happening, the media dives straight in creating more hype and trying to get this publicized even more. So hence its just not the fans and the followers of the game but the fourth estate is behind all this and sometimes I feel that news anchors feel more pain reading out that Sachin has missed out another chance to score his 100th 100 than when they read about a terror attack in which people have been killed. Such is the tragic state of our media but that is another matter altogether.

With so much hype and expectations on Sachin, it is no secret that he feels the pressure to perform. Sachin may play it down saying that this does not affect him, but the truth is far from that and being a player who is quite nervous when in the nineties, this only makes the job even worse.

However in the quest for this individual glory are we missing the bigger picture of Indian cricket? I sadly feel that is the case. Even the final match at Mumbai which was an absolute thriller in the final day is being talked not for what happened there in the final day but about Sachin's missed opportunity. Sure Sachin's century would be great and being a fan of his I would love nothing more but isn't Indian cricket and a Indian win more important and more news worthy?

A fearless Sachin with no baggage on his shoulders is a must for India during the tour of Australia later this year and I hope Sachin scores his 100th century there in the first match so the monkey is off his shoulder. And also because I am getting tired of listening to this talk about when he'll get his magic century of centuries. So here's that he will score those 100 runs soon and raise his heads to the heavens and lift his bat to the crowd like he has done 99 times in the past.

Episode 11 - A Long Discussion

2011-11-27T08:51:00.002+05:30

After a small break, we are back! Here's episode 11.

Recorded on 23rd November 2011; Duration 40 minutes.

Description: In this episode Michael and I have a long discussion on the spot-fixing scandal and how the ICC can fight the menace. We also talk about the tragic loss of Peter Roebuck and discuss about Ponting's future in the Australian team. We also look forward to Tendulkar's elusive 100th century and Michael does a little rant about Mickey Arthur being appointed as the next coach of the Australian team. Stats class as usual comes up with some very interesting stats and figures in cricket.

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Panelists - Michael Wagener, and Christopher David

If you wish to download the podcast click here. You can also subscribe to it via iTunesor any other podcatchers.

Ranting about Australia

2011-11-22T21:04:00.001+05:30

Australia have a new star and young Pat Cummins looks to be one with much talent and a bright future. Watching him bowl in the second test against the South Africans and taking the 5 wicket haul established himself but also managed to impress in the lone match alone. He still has a very long way to go and cannot be hailed as Australia's next super star already but with a player like Cummins, one can hope that Australia's future is bright.

Also Australia have appointed Mickey Arthur as their next coach and this is one move I find very progressive for Australian cricket. I've been a huge fan of Arthur's role in the dressing room and the results he achieved with South Africa is there in the open for all to see. And guess what? Even Arthur has been impressed by the 18th year old Cummins and said that he reminded him of a young Steyn! Now how much bigger accolade can Cummins get than that?

The remedy for fixing matches

2011-11-15T20:58:00.001+05:30

Match-fixing or rather its new form spot-fixing is a menace and must be fought if the game of cricket is to continue to exist. Fixing a match or even parts of match is a grave offense that shows utter disdain to the rules and spirit of the sport and to the perpetrator himself. With Butt, Asif and Amir now behind bars, it is a great sight that justice has been delivered but now we face the sad question, just how many have escaped the net? Surely these three Pakistani players aren't the only criminals. At least that is what logic and reasoning points to, unfortunately. I hope there is no truth in that but if there is, then it would truly be a shame.

In a conversation with a friend I was asked my ideas to combat the ghost of match fixing and I came up with the typical response of more vigilance by the ACSU and the ICC and stricter rules, and harsher punishments for the guilty. It seems all good and very simple, but in reality it is far from it.

Marlon Aronstam, the bookie who contacted former South African captain Hansie Cronje came out last week and called the ICC idiots. He said,

“The game is still crook. The ICC anti-corruption unit are a bunch of idiots who employ people who don’t know what they are looking for.”

And that is the sad reality that exists in the world of cricket. The ICC is truly clueless or else it would have been the ACSU that caught Butt and his Pakistani teammates and not a British tabloid. The failures of the ICC is out there in the public for all to see and till date the ICC hasn't caught a single player. It has always been some third party from the outside. I think that the ICC as a guardian of the game has failed its most important duty and must do an immediate rethink of how it is going to combat fixing. They have always been two steps behind and in most cases a mile behind and this is definitely not good for cricket and if the game is to be clean then drastic steps have to be taken, and taken now!

My friend in our conversation suggested that all gambling and betting industries be closed, after all it was this that is leading to fixing. This is really a stupid thing to do because there is no reason to close down a business that is well regulated and watched by the government as it is done in London. It would send more people to the poor home at a time when the economy already is in shambles. The gambling industry is a major source of income for some countries and provides countless jobs.

Gambling is illegal in India and most other sub-continent countries for the reason that the government is not capable to properly regulate it. This is why betting in this part of the world is all done below the table and it is here that fixing originated.

Betting isn't like other casino games such as poker, roulette, blackjack or the slot machine. It is similar as all these involve the element of luck and hence the risk of losing, but unlike in these games betting the risk is reduced or even nullified when you have certain information on the happenings in a match. The same could be said for perhaps poker, you can win if you know the other person's hand, but that alone isn't enough as it also depends on your hand. This is not so in betting and here lies the main difference.

Much of the fixing that has happened in cricket has been all done by bookies part of the 'illegal' set of betting, and this is one menace that the government has been fighting for years with no results. One of the main reasons for the existence of these underground betting lobbies is because betting is illegal in some countries. The remedy seems easy and all one has to do is legalize betting but that would lead to more complications and in countries like India, the government does not have the capability to have a proper regulating system. That is why you do not have casinos here despite the fact that casino games are quite popular. So betting is bound to take place here, and all underground. So closing down this industry is just not possible.

So the only other possibility is to have the player refrain from fixing. In an ideal world this is easily possible, but unfortunately we do not live in one such world. Thus it is important for the ICC to protect these players and shield them. How the ICC do it, I have no clue and am not the person to advise them. But from where I stand, what is being done is just not enough. Its no where near enough. If cricket is to win, ICC must change its approach.

For cricket to remain a clean and respected sport remedies for this menace called match-fixing must be found out and I hope the ICC's ACSU find this remedy soon.

The Genius of Roebuck

2011-11-14T19:15:00.001+05:30

Wearing an outrageous straw hat, the Englishman from Somerset would have found it hard to blend in anywhere, but he always did manage to blend into the cricket arena where for more than two decades remained as one of its greatest voice whose opinions which at times did border insanity and madness was read and held on by thousands all over the world. I was one of these thousands and must confess that ever since 2006, there hasn't been a Peter Roebuck column that I haven't read and that probably stands as a testament just how great a writer and cricket analyst this man was and how much I cherished his works.

As a decent first class cricketer who had just a little more than 17,500 runs to his name, Roebuck remained as one of the unfortunate people who never did get the opportunity to wear the three lions in a test match. As an eternal loner and an odd obscure character, the man was never shy of controversies and when I first heard about his demise yesterday, I was naturally shocked but when the Cape Town authorities did confirm that Roebuck committed suicide by jumping out the window of his sixth floor hotel room, I was further saddened. It was a rude shock and the nature and mysterious circumstances around his death will probably stay in the limelight for some time as rumors will slowly start clouding the true genius that was Roebuck.

Roebuck wasn't a man without his fair share of faults and it was one of the first things he admitted in his autobiography. He was an odd character who preferred being alone and had plenty of imperfections. He was a man who was demonized by his own self, his past and depression and he reveals that more than once he has thought about taking his own life and it was this decision he made to finally end those voices in his head once for all as he leaped out that window.

Roebuck was a man who was troubled heavily by his past and I am not here to write offering an explanation for his sins that I little know about or sympathize his short comings and erroneous decisions. Rather I am here to write a tribute to the man who wrote some of the best cricket columns I have ever read and someone who one day I hoped to meet and talk cricket over tea or a few drinks. Unfortunately now, that day will never come.

Roebuck the writer was a true wizard who made words come to life. He was an acute observer of the game and even the smallest details failed to escape him. His style was one that was very simple yet royally elegant. It was erudite with a touch of arrogance and the opinions conveyed within was something that I always found amusing to read. His articles contained much wit and had a stroke of intellectual genius. He carved an unique identity to his writing and managed to create a niche for himself in cricket as a journalist and commentator.

Not always did I nod my head in agreement when I read his works but I respected his preposterous ideas and stands and loved the fact that there was never walking in the middle of the fence with Roebuck. It was highly opinionated and always on one side of the fence. I still remember Roebuck calling for Ponting's head after the Sydney test and despite all that happened to India in that test, I remember laughing at the very thought of seeing Punter go. However most often than not I saw his point of view and enjoyed his opinions. Opinions after all are there to be agreed or disagreed. And it was Roebuck's opinion that I really looked forward to reading in 'The Hindu'.

In the often misunderstood and complex Roebuck, cricket had one of its greatest writers who made the game a more colorful spectacle and using his pen, he clothed it with royal garments that managed to catch everyone's eye. Now with his sad demise the game has truly lost one of its greatest characters.