Willow and Leather

Comeback

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Sat, 09 Mar 2019 21:35:00 +0000

The last post on W&L was published during the 2011 ICC World Cup. With the 2019 ICC World Cup just about a dozen weeks away, it is time for W&L to stage a comeback. Stay tuned for more.

3+1 (or) 2+2

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 20:35:00 +0000

There is a lot of speculation going around on whether India would go in with a 3(Seamers)+1(Spinner) combination or with a 2(Seamers)+2(Spinners) combination for tomorrow's game against England in Bangalore. Given that Ashish Nehra is (supposedly) still injured, it comes down to a toss up between Sreesanth and Piyush Chawla (or R Ashwin).

Sreesanth's performance in the opening game might actually make it an easy decision for Dhoni. Also, considering how the spinners fared in the warm-up game at the same ground, it should really be a no-brainer. KP's well-documented history with Yuvi and left-arm spinners in general would tempt Dhoni to gamble throwing the new ball to Yuvi. But throwing pies accurately in the power-play overs might be too much of an ask and India would be better off opening with a specialist spinner instead.

Harbhajan Singh is needed to control the middle overs, so his overs shouldn't be wasted up-front. Ashwin's supporters might argue that Dhoni has used him a lot with the new ball in the IPL and that experience should make him the front-runner for the second-spinner's spot. But Chawla would be quietly confident of his chances because he is a better attacking option and his spells in the warm-up games have made up inch ahead of Ashwin in the eyes of everyone that matters.

Sri offers support for Sree

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 01:43:00 +0000

Courtesy: Javagal Srinath (Hindustan Times)

Everyone has had a go at Sreesanth for being expensive. He did go for plenty but we need to look at the reasons for his less-than-impressive performance.

First, we must understand his frame of mind. When the World Cup 15 was announced last month, Sreesanth wasn’t a part of the team. He was a late inclusion and it looked that he couldn’t prepare well. Between the severe sense of rejection and sudden acceptance, his preparation went for a toss. I gather he was also not an original choice in the playing eleven.

With the swing and pace he was trying to generate, it looked as if he wanted a wicket off every delivery. We should not read too much into his performance on Saturday.

I do agree with Sri - the team would like to treat it as just an off game for one player and move on. However, it seems unlikely that Sreesanth might get to play in the next few outings. The next couple of games for India are in B'lore and there is a good chance that Dhoni might go in with a 2+2 attack for those games. Given what happened in the warm-up game against Australia and given that India would be playing England and Ireland (with due respect to the spin-playing abilities of Straussy and his men) next, playing Piyush/Ashwin instead of the third seamer sounds like a good plan. I don't think this is really the end of the tournament for Sreesanth. In my opinion, he is still the best early-wicket-taking seam option that India has in its squad and the bowling coach would need to ensure that Sreesanth is ready to deliver when the time comes.

Balaji Rao - Who?

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 03:25:00 +0000

Courtesy: Express India (from 2001)

I hope our boys will halt the winning streak of the Australians,’’ said the National senior cricket selection committee chairman Chandu Borde, who watched the conditioning camp here today.
‘‘I am optimistic about the series against the Aussies. Our players are being shaped up for the contest. The camp will give them the required physical and mental strength. The boys are being prepared in the right course by coach John Wright.’’ he said.
He expressed concern about leg-spinner Anil Kumble not playing in the series. When asked if the the focus would be on the Tamil Nadu leg-spinner WD Balaji Rao, the selection panel chief said ‘‘Balaji Rao is being monitored closely. He has been doing well.’’

That was the closest that WD Balaji Rao ever came to in terms of playing international cricket for India. The series that the linked article relates to is the one where Harbhajan Singh became the next big Indian spinning star (the series is also known as the 281 series). A bit of luck here and there and it could so easily have been Balaji Rao modeling for Royal Stag and asking - Have I made it large?

Things have changed a fair bit for him in the last decade. He now plays international cricket for Canada and is back in the sub-continent to prove a point or two.

Team India - Preview

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 07:55:00 +0000

Sachin "Is there such a thing as 6th time lucky?" Tendulkar
There is something about these world cup games that gets the best out of Tendulkar. He has had 5 stabs at it and he knows that this is practically his last attempt. His role in this tournament would obviously be to bat through the innings. If he can do that at least 3 times in the next 7 weeks, he would go past 100 international tons. If those 3 efforts come in the quarters, semis and the finals, he would have realized that elusive dream of his.

Virender "Need to bat long" Sehwag
Viru wants to curb his merry ways a bit at the start of the innings and look to bat long. There is no doubt that if he bats 40 overs, it would mean that the opposition has signed-sealed-delivered the game to India. He looked a bit confused in the warm-up games about how he should go about building his innings. But for someone with the most uncluttered mind in the business, he shouldn't take long to sort it out. His running between the wickets was a bit iffy during the warm-up games, but hopefully his feet would be all warmed-up for the first game against B'desh. Not sure how his shoulder is holding up, but it would be great if he could bowl a few overs in games where the main bowlers get tonked.

Gautam "How do I show Kohli that I deserve to be at No.3" Gambhir
Virat had made the No.3 slot his own with some consistent performances. It was always a known fact that Virat had to move (down/out) when the big three returned. But Gambhir, the Gambhir that he is, would want to show one and all why he is the best man to do the job at that slot in this tournament. I must say that he looked pretty good in the warm-up game against NZ, especially after he reached his 50.

Virat "Sorry Suresh" Kohli
I'm glad that he is going to be in the starting XI. Dhoni would be looking to be fluid with the batting order for slots 4 to 7. But Yuvraj's indifferent form with his batting would give Kohli the opportunity to bat at No.4 in most games. He may not know how to hide a hickey, but he does know more than just a thing or two about keeping the scorer busy during the milking overs.

MS "Gotta do this for SRT - Well ofcourse, for Gary too" Dhoni
The world is his oyster. He was not his usual self with the bat in SA, but that ton in the last warm-up game should give him a lot of confidence going into the tournament. He is at the top of his game when it comes to captaincy and those skills of his could just be the differentiating edge that India has over the other contenders. I'm not too concerned about the lack of the reserve keeper in the squad. Virat can do the job for a game or two if Dhoni catches a niggle.

Yuvraj "Thank GOD for my bowling skills, thank GOD there is no Dmitri" Singh
India desperately needs Yuvraj to bring his A game to all departments. Right now he is struggling a bit with the bat. If not for his bowling skills and his uncanny ability to pick wickets, he would have struggled to justify keeping Raina out of the starting XI. All it takes is one knock in the middle to get back into the groove and I sincerely hope that knock comes in early in the tournament.

Suresh "Hmm.. after all the sacrifices I made batting down the order" Raina
You have got to feel for the bloke. Batting down the order is never easy and he has done exceptionally well for India (especially in the sub-continent) in the No.6 slot in recent times. But there are only so many batsmen that a team can play. He is still one of the best finishers in the game and he might get a chance based on how the middle order fares in the opening games.

Yusuf "Ask them to bounce me out on these pitches" Pathan
Those 2 ODI centuries that he scored in recent times have completely transformed Pathan's stars. Before those 2 knocks, he was just another fringe player. Now no one in his right mind would argue against why he is considered a must pick. If the top order does its job right, he might not have to play a major part in this campaign. But with him at No.7, any target the opposition sets would now seem like a Pathan-able target.

Harbhajan "Has Swann made it large?" Singh
He has sounded pretty wise in some of his recent interviews. He still sounds as cocky as he was as a 17 year old, but he sure does put in a lot more thought into his bowling these days than he ever did. India go into the tournament with their frontline spinner in good form and that augurs very well. For India to nurture any hopes of winning the cup, Harbhajan needs to deliver and deliver large.

Zaheer "Just need 7 injury free weeks in a row" Khan
On days that Zaheer is fit, he lifts himself and the others in the attack to a very happy place. He has this amazing knack of seizing the moment (hate to sound like Shastri) and making it his own. All the Indian fans would be hoping that their best fast bowler stays supremely fit for the next 7 weeks.

Munaf "I'm the second best seamer in the squad" Patel
He is supposed to provide the "steady" option in the seam attack. He is done well in the recent past and has shown that he has remarkable control over line and length. But on the sub-continent pitches where anyone can be taken to cleaners at anytime, he would have to be his guiling best from the start to the finish. He has worked hard on his fitness and fielding levels, but is still a level below what you would expect from an international fast bowler.

Ashish "Seriously, I'm the second best seamer in the squad" Nehra
Nehra has done enough in the past 18 months to deserve a spot in the squad. But he has had a few ordinary outings in the last few games. His rhythm is just not there. He is still the one who put in the best bowling performance from an Indian in WC games. But that was 8 years ago and it is amazing how fans still hope that he would be able to dish out at least one such performance in this year's edition. It is also a troubling thought that if both Ashish and Munaf play together, Dhoni would have one too many fielders that he would have try and hide in the field.

Shantakumaran "MUST not irritate anyone - especially team mates, umpire and fellow Indi Commandos" Sreesanth
He was supposed to be just cheering for the team with his music-band. But fate intervened, poor Praveen got injured, and Sree is now up for a shot at WC glory. He may currently be the fourth in the pecking order, but I would pick him in the playing XI (ahead of both Nehra and Munaf) just for his ability to bowl some real jaffas in the first 10 overs. He may end up not being a part of the first few games. But I've a feeling that fate would intervene again - Sree would play against Pakistan in the later stages, Misbah would play a scoop straight into Sree's waiting hands in the final over and all would be forgotten (including those ridiculous loser gestures).

Ravi "Hope the captain shows the same faith that he showed in the IPL" Ashwin
Ashwin would be called upon if the captain feels he needs to use more spin in the initial power-play overs. Based on how the seamers fare in the opening games, Ashwin's chance to showcase his skills would come sooner or later.

Piyush "Don't really need any hugs to perform" Chawla

Piyush might have started off the campaign as the third choice spinner in the attack. But his more than impressive performances in the warm-up games have ensured that he is now second in line. Dhoni is likely to go with with the "3 seamers + 1 spinner" attack in most games. But if the idea is to just go in with the 4 best bowlers in the team, Piyush might get a look-in.

Opening with the youngest and the oldest

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 01:13:00 +0000

In today's warm-up game against England, Canada opened their batting with John Davison (yeah that bloke - the one who once held the record for scoring the fastest ton in WCs) and Nitish Kumar. John is 40+ and is the oldest player in the tournament. Young Nitish at 16 is the youngest player in this edition.

The difference in their ages (24) has to be some sort of record for opening pairs (provided the partnership is retained when the real matches get underway). Incidentally, their other opener Hiral Patel is also a good 20 odd years younger than John Davison.

Virat vs Suresh (or) Virat vs Gautam?

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 10:00:00 +0000

Virat has shown time and again what he is capable of doing at the top of the order. You would think that the warm-up games would be used to gauge how he goes when he walks in after the 35th over. I would have liked to see Yuvraj come in at the fall of Gambhir's early dismissal.

Is this an indication that Raina is the preferred man to bat at No.6 in the starting line-up on Feb 19th? It could also be mean that there is a likely jostle between Virat and Gambhir for the No.3 slot. It really would be a shame if India cannot find a way to fit in the second best batsman in the world (based on current ICC rankings) somehow in that lineup.

8 days to go..

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:13:00 +0000

I have been away from this space for a long time for various reasons. But with 8 days to go for the biggest spectacle of all in World Cricket to commence, I'm giving myself an opportunity to get back into the cric-blogging scene (if there is such a term).

willow.tv has the 2 Indian warm-up games listed in its live line-up - so, the live action starts this weekend. Here's to hoping that the next 8 weeks would provide some memorable moments and also in the process help me revive my penchant for dishing out mundane (yet prolific) pieces on the progress of MS and his men in blue (or red?).

Gambhir <=> Intense, Steady, Deep

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:28:00 +0000

Courtesy: Hindustan Times

What are the changes you foresee if India win the World Cup?
I believe the citizens of our country are left with very few things to have faith in. The past year has been one of scams and we are now reeling under double-digit inflation. Getting a child admitted to school is like climbing a mountain; Delhi is called the rape Capital. Religion is still being used to push political agendas and then we have our quota of natural mishaps. Amidst all this if cricket can provide some respite, we'd have done our job.

No wonder his folks named him Gambhir

A fortuitous debut

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:42:00 +0000

Courtesy: Cricinfo

Kris Srikkanth's selection panel has, through most of its tenure, stuck with players who were introduced to the national pool by the previous two selection panels. You cannot blame them for riding on the success that the pairing of Dhoni and Gary Kirsten has scripted in the last two years in Test cricket, but they need to work out the pros and cons of every decision they make.

There is no doubt Saha is happy and excited about his debut - though doubtless he would have preferred different circumstances and a different role. Spare a thought, though, for those young aspirants who have been shouldering responsibilities for their respective states piling up big runs - the likes of Manish Pandey, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane and other good batsmen who are bound to feel distraught at not being considered despite their domestic success. Their time will probably come but it could have been sooner rather than later.

Well, no one seems to be saying it - so, let me do the honors. The simple (and the only) reason why Dinesh Karthik was not chosen ahead of Saha as the backup keeper is because there were already 2 players from Tamil Nadu guaranteed of a slot in the starting XI. And the selector from the East Zone would not have been welcome back home if he had allowed even the backup keeper to be picked from the same team from the south. As a result, Karthik ended up playing in the Duleep Trophy final and notching up a couple of 150+ scores while Saha (don't have anything against him) is getting to reap the rewards of being in the right place at the right time. Raina, Pujara, Kohli and Pandey (not necessarily in that order) would no doubt be feeling really let down by the selectors.

How dumb can you get?

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:43:00 +0000

First, he does this..

and then he goes and says this..

“There is no team in the world that doesn’t tamper with the ball. My methods were wrong. I am embarrassed, I shouldn’t have done it. I just wanted to win us a game but this was the wrong way to do it.”

So dear Mr. Afridi, please do enlighten us all - what are the "right methods" of tampering a cricket ball?

49 more to go

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:18:00 +0000

About 40 odd minutes to go for the start of the 6th ODI at Guwahati. There was a lot of buzz before the previous game about Sachin reaching 17000 ODI runs. How come I don't see anything in the news media now about him being 49 runs short of 30,000 runs at the international level?

"Paddy did it"

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:13:00 +0000

Courtesy: Cricinfo

"The leaked article was compiled by Paddy Upton and provided information for the players on relationship between sexual activity and sports performance. I never wrote the article and read it for the first time two days ago. It has never been and never will be part of team strategy," Kirsten said. "I have been deeply disturbed by these false allegations and wish to focus my attention on helping Team India have a successful Champions Trophy."

The Indian media did what the Indian media does best. There is no surprise in that. Gary should have known this by now. There is no point being disturbed by such allegations. This would definitely not be the last time that someone would ask him to resign.

Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy: Day 1 - Snippets

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:18:00 +0000

While the buzz is on in India for tomorrow's clash against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy, the inaugural season of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy - also known as the "100% desi" (no franchises, no foreign exports) Indian Domestic T20 Championship - quietly got underway today. Now how many of you knew that such a tournament existed? There were 3 games, all South Zone games, that were played on the opening day. While the mainstream media is busy covering the Champions Trophy, I'm gonna try and bring in some snippets from the SMA Trophy

Game 1: Andhra vs Hyderabad

Result: Hyderabad won by 10 runs.

Hyderabad's Innings: Hyderabad was asked to bat first and made 176/5. Ambati Rayudu, playing in his first "recognized" T20 game after leaving ICL, scored 53 off 34 balls. Seems like he hasn't been signed by any IPL team yet - he is too classy a player to not to be signed yet. Wicket-Keeper Abhinav Kumar made a better than 2runs-a-ball half century. When was the last time you came across a wicket-keeper who couldn't bat? Paidikalva Vijay Kumar, who made a fairly decent impression for Deccan Chargers in their dismal IPL-1 campaign, was taken to the cleaners and ended up with none for 45 off his 4 overs.

Andhra's Innings: Venu Rao made no score while his kid brother Gnani Rao made 71 off 41. For Hyderabad - Arjun, Absolem and Pragyan bowled well for a combined returns of 5 for 73 off their 12 overs.

Game 2: Kerala vs Tamil Nadu
Result: Tamil Nadu won by 49 runs

Tamil Nadu's Innings: Murali Vijay won the toss and elected to bat. It is interesting that Badri isn't the captain. R Satish who captained the Chennai Super Kings in the ICL would have been another choice to lead in this form of the game. Vijay made 54. He has been a bit off-color after his impressive international test debut. He needs to have a good domestic season to keep the national selectors interested in him. Arun Karthik scored a half-century as well (btw, did you guys know that Arun made his List-A debut playing for Badureliya Sports Club in the SriLankan Domestic League). Sreesanth, fresh off a reasonably successful stint with Warwickshire ended up giving away 37 off his 3 overs.

Kerala's Innings: The Kerala batsmen were never really in the chase. R Ashwin's off-spin yielded 3/16. Balaji was his usual economical self.

Game 3: Goa vs Karnataka
Result: Goa won by 10 runs (first real upset of the tournament)

Goa's innings: Goa won the toss. Swapnil Asnodkar was his merry self at the top of the order and raked up 71 off 48 balls. S Sriram, back from a stint with the ICL made 20 off 16. Anil Kumble who is using this tournament as a practice-run for the Champions league was fairly expensive - going at about 10 an over off his full quota. Stuart Binny ended up with impressive figures of 2/26. He is one player who really benefited from playing in the ICL. His stock his risen considerably after his impressive contributions for the Hyderabad Heroes.

Karnataka's innings: After having just played the KPL, you would think that Karnataka should have easily chased down the target. Young Manish Pandey was the top-scorer with 44. Uthappa, coming in at No.4 hit a couple of sixes, but got out in the 16th over with still 50 runs more to get. In the end, they fell short by 10 runs.

Some Bravo Trivia

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 01:13:00 +0000

There is a very strong likelihood that both Dwayne and Darren would be playing alongside each other in the upcoming ODI series against India. Name which other Santa Cruz brothers-duo represented the West-Indies together in an international game.

Show/Hide Answer

Jeffrey Stollmeyer and Victor Stollmeyer played a test match against England in 1939

"Bravo - Double Impact" in store for India?

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 01:53:00 +0000

Dwayne Bravo single-handedly won the game against India in the Super-Eights of the T20 WC (the game which was the beginning of the end for the defending champions). Now it seems that India would have to counter 2 Bravos in the upcoming one-day series. Dwayne's younger brother is in the team selected to play the first couple of games. Darren, a left-handed batsman played in the last under-19 WC in Malaysia that Virat Kohli and co. won. In the one game that the WI played against India in that tournament, Darren was the top-scorer for WI and he was run-out for 43 by Ravindra -I'm-sorry-I-couldn't-get-out- Jadeja. Hope Jadeja's first-hand knowledge about Darren would help formulate some plans to counter the lesser-known Bravo.

When the 4th M came to the party..

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:58:00 +0000

On what is supposedly the happiest day of the year, the smiling assassins from the emerald isle brought a great deal of joy to their supporters. Everyone knew that it would be hard to get Malinga, Mendis and Murali away, but who would have thought that young Mathews would bowl a dream first over - 3 wkts in 5 balls in the first over and the Windies never recovered from that triple blow. What a tournament this former under-19 captain is having - some top-order wickets, some late-order runs and some outstanding fielding efforts. Shah Rukh must be wondering why he (and Mendis) didn't play like this in the IPL.

On a side note, there was some joy for the people of Kolkata too. Dada made his debut as a commentator for ESPN and I must say had a fairly impressive first day.

Duminy does a Jadeja

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 20:06:00 +0000

There will be a lot of talk in the media about how Albie was wasting his time whiling away in the dugout while Duminy was scratching around in the middle. But as young Ravi Jadeja will tell you, it just isn't easy to get out, especially when you really want to hit out or get out. In T20 games like these, it might just be prudent for a player to retire himself out of the middle if he cannot get out. You might see a few future T20 captains trying to do that - forcing a player who is struggling to get a move on to get retired out (The last time I saw this happen in an international game was in a game between SL and BNG)

KKR's new coach

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:32:00 +0000

Courtesy Cricinfo :

Kolkata Knight Riders, the IPL team that finished last this season, are understood to have decided to remove John Buchanan as their coach and have begun sounding out possible replacements.

Buchanan, Kolkata's director of cricket operations, and Joy Bhattacharya, the team director, refused to confirm the development but the former Australia coach said he would comment on the issue within the next 48 hours. Steve Waugh and Dav Whatmore are among the possible replacements, as well as some Indian candidates, who have been contacted by franchise officials.

Steve Waugh would be a tempting pick, given his success as a captain and his strong Kolkata connection (via udayan). Dave Whatmore on the other hand is a safer bet, given his work at the NCA and his experience as an international coach. I would go with Dave for the simple reason that he understands the sub-continental cricketer (a lot better than Steve).

... thooch.. lets try again..

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:18:00 +0000

Just before the coin was about to be tossed, Dhoni called time-out. He rushed off, grabbed a pen and made a quick change to the playing-eleven on the team-sheet. Something on the pitch gave him second thoughts? I don't know. T20 is all about quick thinking and the WC winning captain knows a thing or two about making decisions on a spur. Poor Ravi Shastri. Because of the false start, he had to welcome the crowd all over again.

A very disappointed Kaif

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 09:59:00 +0000

No, not Katrina. She would be cheering for Mallya's team. It is that less-glamorous name-sake of hers that I'm talking about.
Courtesy: DNA India

It is learnt that on Tuesday afternoon Kaif got the call from the team management. When Warne dropped the bombshell that he "wasn't in their scheme of things", Kaif was stunned. The seven players, who were told to pack their bags, were called individually for an interaction with Warne and Co.

According to sources, Kaif was upset on two counts. He couldn't hide his disappointment when he realised that he would play no part. Also, he couldn't understand why the Royals captain-cum-coach did not tell him earlier that his services would not be required.

"If Kaif was informed ahead of the transfer window that ran from December 22 to January 22 that he may not make the final squad then he could have considered playing for another team. Seven other squads were looking for players," the source added

Kaif does have a reason to be disappointed.If he wasn't really in the RR's scheme of things, he should have been told about it ahead of the transfer window. There are much less talented Indian players in the other teams and it is kinda sad that one of the most prolific Indian domestic players wouldn't be on view in this edition. I know that there are some people who would tag him as a long-duration-game player, but I do think he has more to offer in the other forms too.

Eye Pee Yell

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 09:41:00 +0000

Less than an hour to go for the first game of the new season. It does seem like the weather would have a say on today's games. Keep your gloves crossed. It is going to be one cracking tournament. I just can't wait to see Dhoni and Sachin walk out to test their probability skills with the toss.

Broad Revenge

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 03:57:00 +0000

Gambhir has been in terrific form of late. Modern players realize the importance of cashing in when they are in a rich vein of form. So it is understandable that Gambhir was hurt and disappointed for being banned for the Nagpur test. There is no room for any sort of elbow-action on the cricket field and Broad Sr. did the right thing in handing out the ban.

India is 43/0 in 7 overs at Rajkot and young Stuart Broad has already been taken out of the attack because Gambhir seems to have decided to let his bat take some broad revenge.

Fab-4 in the Top-6

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:00:00 +0000

During the course of Laxman's unbeaten double-century knock, he leap-frogged a couple of places (over Azhar and Vishy) in the all-time list of top Indian run-makers in Test Cricket. He is now in the 6th place and that means that the "Fab-Four" now occupies 4 slots in the top 6 Indian run-makers. The Indian middle-order will have this distinction for just one more test - so cherish it while it lasts..

Lawson gets his wish.. almost

noreply@blogger.com (Pavan) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:35:00 +0000

"I would like to score a 150-run win over India on Tuesday."
Geoff Lawson, the Pakistan coach

Almost there. Missed by just 10 runs (albeit the other way) - would be nice to know what he would like to score in the next game.. How about a 10-wkt win?