Talking Cricket

Pattinson: another one in the Dale Steyn mode?

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 04:42:50 PST

The first time I saw him bowl reminded my instantly of the South African, Dale Steyn and after having watched his many good spells of bowling during the first test match between India and Australia, I am pretty sure that my comparison theory is quite correct. Both these bowlers are tall, well-built, though Pattinson looks like he has definitely spent more hours in the gym and believe in pitching the ball in the off-stump zone. Steyn is probably the one bowler who continued from where Glenn McGrath, i.e. I am referring to the nuances of bowling line and length without compromising on pace. Pattinson has a similar approach and just like the South African spearhead , he is not shy of pitching up the bowl. Yes, he can bowl short too but he prefers to hit the line & length that the best of batsmen struggle against. Probably, this is why despite being the most inexperienced bowler in the Boxing Day test match of December 2011, he was probably the best. I don't feel shy of saying that Pattinson is probably a deal as real and dependable as Dale Steyn and Cummins, the other young Aussie bowler who has been engaging a lot of attention, would need to work harder since he seems more like all speed that can sometimes be exhausted when the batsmen are in murderous mood and among sub-continental pitches.

Day 2: India vs Australia 2011: Bumpy Sehewag Gives India a Smooth Start

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:27:38 PST

The first instance of it immediately raked up images from the controversial India Australia test series of 2007. I am talking about Sehewag bumping into Pattinson, the young Aussie bowler, and Sehewag verbally and animatedly asking Pattinson to mind himself, raising his bat in the air. However, soon things became calmer when Gautam Gambhir played what can be best described as a horrible, unnecessary poke outside his off-stump to give Australia their first breakthrough. However, at this moment, Dravid has joined forces with Sehewag who seems to be continuing from his 190+ score at this same venue a few years ago. Yes, he had his usual share of almost-out instance, but most Sehewag followers have now become accustomed to it. A Sehewag innings without some anxiety and panic attacks among the Indian fans just wouldn't have its natural flavor. The second bump from Sehewag was a bit harder but didn't flare the tempers in either camp when he accidentally bumped into Peter Siddle. Sehewag apologized immediately and Siddle just seemed too busy thinking about his next delivery to exchange any verbal volleys. Sehewag is nearing another test half century as I write this, and hopefully, he can convert into another test ton. As long as he is at the crease, things seem a bit undemanding for the Indian batsmen. His daredevil method of batting seems to have rubbed on Rahul Dravid too who is batting with much more freedom than what we usually witness during the early part of his test match batting.

2011-12: India versus Australia Test Series: Looking Beyond the Obvious

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:30:25 PST

Yes, a lot has already been written about what is going to happen when MSD and his team try to win the Kangaroo Land of cricket. However, it seems that everyone is obsessed with just one thing, i.e. the kind and the number of injuries that are happening. I would like to state that no cricketing nation or for that matter, no sporting nation can put up excuses like retirement of star players or the absence of key players due to injuries. This applies to the cricketing world too. So why is so much being made out of Australia being on a re-building spree and their main players being injured. A defeat is a defeat no matter in which manner and under what circumstances it is achieved. People tend to remember the scorecards after a few weeks and not things about a nation's cricketing talent, its pool of talent or pedigree. I would further like to state that this is essentially going to be a game of average bowlers against some very good batsmen. Don't forget, Clarke and Ponting are alone to ensure that Australia can pile up about 500+ runs in every innings. So all the noise about the absence of established openers in the Aussie team and the call back for Simon Katisch just doesn't make sense. What matters is the best use both teams can get out of their present resources and that is what they should be reflecting upon rather than talking about injuries, reputations and rankings.

Ajmal Versus Swann: the Best ODI Bowler Debate

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:04:35 PST

Call it the old Pakistani habit of biting more than what one can eat, Saeed Ajmal, the supposed best Pakistani bowler in the ODI format at the moment has gone on to verbally challenge the ace English off spin bowler, saying that he is on the verge of replacing the English spinning revelation in the forthcoming season. While some purists might say that a bit of tussle for the top spinner's slot, particularly in the ODI format, might be good since the spinners have been reduced to fill-up bowlers in a game that has become unreasonably inclined towards the batsmen. However, it should also be seen as an act of desperation by Saeed Ajmal since he has simply failed to get the attention of the global cricketing fraternity though it should be said that Ajmal is quite a good bowler in his own respect but fails to impress as much as the guile induced by Swann. Some experts would say that saying such things were a bit uncalled for by Ajmal but then again, apart from engaging the attention of the cricketing media through such measures, Ajmal stands little chance of adding to his reputation in world cricket which is also partially because of increasing depreciation with which performances of the Pakistani cricket team is looked upon.

MY VERDICT? I seriously doubt that Ajmal has what it will take to displace Swann from his pedestal. He just isn't as tricky and cannot float the ball in the air like Swann does.

Injuries or Not: You Cannot Put-up Excuses for Being White-washed!!

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:44:08 PDT

Okay, so the Indian team is lacking seven or eight of its most key players. Agreed that finding equally good replacements so quickly is not easy. Yes, fielding even eleven fit players is a major headache for Indian team in England at the moment so talking about winning or losing seems secondary...right? Absolutely Not!! For starters, an international cricket team that is literally swimming in money cannot put up such school kid kind of excuses. Did these cricketers complain or back-out when they were being asked to play cricket beyond their body's tolerance levels? Did they do anything to suggest that they were being overworked besides losing one match after the other? If not, then these players have absolutely no right to criticize the way the games are being managed or the way in which the Indian cricket team's itinerary is planned. If the Board is indecisive and
weak in its management skills or is simply a bit too greedy to ensure the fitness and overall well-being of the players, can't the six, most senior players in the team approach the Board on behalf of the entire Indian Cricket Team and brief them about their demanding schedules and how it is wrecking their bodies? This post might seem to present a lot of questions rather than expressing opinions but the fact is that such shoddy performance and being white-washed 4-0 by England and now, seemingly also in the one day series, is just not acceptable no matter what is happening among the cricket board of India or the players: they are both responsible to answer the followers of the game.

Rahane: One Good Thing For India on England Tour 2011

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:44:30 PDT

In all fairness the India tour of England 2011 is nothing short of a complete disaster. The main players have struggled as wells as the youngsters and every time the opportunity came for the big names to deliver, expectations were nipped in the bud by carelessness. Yes, reasons such as excessive cricket and tiredness have been floating around with the skipper, MS Dhoni, himself expressing views that seem to underline the demanding schedule that this Indian team has. However, one question remains to be answered: would the same questions be raised had the Indian team won or at least, drawn the test series against England and still retained their number one spot in ICC test rankings 2011? Most probably not and this is exactly what I want to put forth-the Indian cricket board and Dhoni too seem to offer the seemingly rightful explanations only when a problem arises. What happened to sticking to the same logic even if the team is managing to win?
Usually, honesty does not seem to be most people's cup of tea as long as the going is less than tough. Coming back to the debacle of the Indian team touring England, one small speck of brightness has come forward in the form of Rahane. This man has shown the temperament, class and to some extent, the technique as well, at least in the two games he has played so far on the England Tour 2011. Firstly, he is not apprehensive about the short ball and secondly, his ability to play well against pace and seam along with his stance, make him a more than useful opener. Rahane seems to be manufactured for the opening slot, as if he has emerged from a cricket academy's blueprint for the opening batsmen. How far will he go, how many runs he can score and whether he can help India win the 2011 ODI series against England remain to be seen but in Rahane, the Indian team has found one small, but significant, reason to smile.

Copeland Bowling: Aussie Back to the Adam Dale Era?

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:44:49 PDT

Just looking at Day 2 of the test match between Sri Lanka and Australia, I could not help but notice that the newly capped player in the Aussie line-up, i.e. Copeland, is quite similar in his bowling mannerisms to what Adam Dale used to do nearly a decade back. Some of you might not recall Dale but he was a bit of an odd streak in the world of fast bowling, i.e. if you could call him a fast bowler. Dale never had the pace or the aura of a typical Aussie bowler. For starters, he was a bit vertically challenged, didn't have broad shoulders and never bowled with any real, frightening sort of pace. So, how did he manage to get into the Australian time you ask? Well, Adam Dale was the epitome of a nagging sort of bowler.
He would merely keep bowling outside the off-stump day and night, until the batsmen lost their composure and played a short that led to their dismissal, courtesy of the excellent slip fielders that the Aussies have always had. On pitches that were a bit bouncy or those that were a bit sluggish scoring-off somebody like an Adam Dale was nearly impossible at times. Now, Copeland is quite similar, hardly bowling beyond 125 km/hr but still he does not leak runs at any stage and is excellent for keeping the over-dominant test batsmen that we find today.

Are We Actually Surprise With India's Test Failures in England?

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:45:10 PDT

By now, a lot would have been set about the manner in which a seemingly world champion side like India meekly surrendered to the English bowlers and how India's supposedly handy seam attack was made to look pedestrian. However, I would like to raise just one question, are we really surprised by the end result? Yes, nobody would have said that India would get a spanking like this, being whipped 4-0 in a test series after being crowned the World Champions is a bit too much too digest but just look at how these players have been working since their World Cup 2011 success. It just does not make sense
to play with the same bunch of players in all three formats of the game and that too at a time when you have the core of your test team well over the 35-year mark. It still remains to be seen what kind of explanations are put forth by the BCCI but for all those who are concerned about Indian cricket, don't fret too much...just a couple of wins in a few one day matches and all that has happened will be soon forgotten. Those who are being crucified right now will be worshiped again and all the "reforms" that the likes of Gavaskar talk about will be amicably forgotten...this just about sums-up the manner in which Indian cricket rolls.

World Cup 2011: The IRISH are definitely impressive!

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:45:25 PDT

It started with the men in green defeating the English side and continued with the spirited Irish reply to the challenge put forth by the Indians but the fact remains that the Irish team has established itself as the real surprise package of the tournament. These are players who aren't fully profesional cricketers, many of them doing odd jobs for a few months in the year and a couple who play in the B-grade English leagues. However, most of them have presented themselves as rather worthy of playing on the big stage. If they could just defeat one more of the major teams, it would seriously enhance their
reputation of being the real dark horses of the World Cup, a title that was supposed to be that of Bangladesh who in fact, have played rather poorly. The islander cricketers had said a lot about the home pitches playing to their strengths but they seem to lack the stomach to put it past the the bigger sides. One factor that is missing sorely in the progress of Irish cricket is that they are not receiving invitations for cricket haves like India and Australia where such emerging teams should be invited to play in the state or league matches. This will give the Irish players to get accustomed to varying pitch conditions and get a more realistic idea about their shortcomings.

ODI’s ‘25x4’ Format has A Distinct T20 Flavoring To It!

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:28:21 PST

It would be an understatement to say that the contemporary format of ODIs is fighting hard for its existence. The constant criticism that it faces, seems to be echoing louder with every passing day. Among all the suggested alternatives to make the format more appealing, only one proposition has found favors among the ICC’s conservative hierarchy and many ex-cricketers. It was the maestro, Sachin Tendulkar, who suggested that the ODI game should be reinvented by introducing four innings instead of the current trend of every side having once chance to bat. According to him, each innings should be of 25 overs only.

This essentially means that each side would be batting and balling in two, separate installments. The proposal has already caught the attention of many ICC bosses and some of them are willing to give it a go-ahead by introducing it in the English county circuit. Some purists say that this format would be a bit too confusing, since most viewers would find it difficult to keep a tally of the scores over four innings in a single day. However, I really don’t think this argument makes much sense. In our times, having access to information on a 24x7 basis is no longer a challenge and hence, any concerns about viewers getting confused are unfounded. In fact, trying to read into the scoreline after each innings might just be an added incentive for people to check upon the match’s progress.

So is there anything wrong with the suggestion?

My personal opinion is that it tampers with the current format too extensively. We have already seen what the T20 game is doing to the game. Teams are constantly on the lookout for players who can score a quickfire, 20-30 runs, seldom batting with any elegance. Considering this, ODIs still breed batsmen that have some basic batting technique and the bowlers’ mettle isn't tested on the grounds of being able to contain runs only. If the 100 overs are split into four installments of 25 overs each, aren't the players being indirectly told to treat a one-dayer like a couple of back-to-back T20 games? I have no doubt that an excess of five overs in this suggested alternative won't be able to stop the madness of T20 seeping into the ODIs and changing its very essence.

Yes, there are advantages such as reducing the impact of weather conditions that often render teams at the mercy of the toss. The recently concluded tri-series in

Sri Lanka

is ample proof that the ground conditions could pre-decide the fate of the match — every team that batted second in this tournament, lost. Therefore, splitting the 100 overs between the two teams in an alternating format would distribute the weather-related implications. However, it is still bound to change the ODIs beyond recognition. The ongoing one–day series is proof enough that every current form of the game is absolutely different from one another — Aussies who lost the Ashes rather comprehensively have whitewashed the English team, leading the seven-match series, 5 to nil and these variations is worth preserving. Introduction of changes based upon Tendulkar’s perspective would mean making the ODI game considerably similar to the T20 format and hence, slowly eradicating the fundamental nature of one-dayers.

I am not against introducing changes but they should complement the fundamentals of ODIs rather than trying to eliminate them. Perhaps the ICC should try to correct its own mistakes that initiated the downfall of the ODI game, i.e. making the game bend too much in the favor of batsmen by allowing games on dead, lifeless pitches that don’t offer anything to the bowlers. Had this issue been dealt with in time, the aura of ODIs with the game constantly seesawing between the bowlers & batsmen would have sustained viewer interest and the present fiasco would have never emerged. I guess self-introspection is a lot tougher and the ICC is no different. The easy solution obviously lies in hosting numerous ‘meetings’ in plush resorts and five star offices to suggest wholesome, unwanted changes and you don’t have to be an ODI enthusiast or discriminator to understand this.

Did you notice any similarities in Tendulkar’s Recent Record-Breaking Moments?

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:29:12 PST

This might have come to your attention if you are a keen cricket follower. Recently, Tendulkar has created two records that would be hard-to-beat any time in the near future. These include his 200+ score in one day internationals and his compilation of 50 test centuries. However, there is an amazing set of similarities when he achieved these two feats: Firstly, his batting partner on each occasion was MS Dhoni—the Indian skipper.

Secondly, both times, the bowling opposition was that of South Africa. What is amazing is that none of the News channels seem to have covered this aspect when the record was first reported. It was only the next day that some media coverage highlighted this aspect and then, the rest followed. Further, the Protea bowlers never managed to or every tried to bounce Tendulkar. This seemed true for the ODI inning that was played on a very placid pitch but in SA itself, the non-use of neck-high bouncers against the Little Master does seem a bit strange.

Ashes First Test: Australian Bowling Exposed Beyond Redemption!

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:28:48 PST

We all knew that Australia would struggle to a large extent to dismiss the England batsmen on a consistent basis. The Aussies don’t have a single spinner who is capable of turning the ball to an alarming or even an average degree. Further, their pace bowlers are too predictable, making it rather difficult to dismiss a side that has someone like Stuart Broad batting at number eight. However, no one was prepared for the mauling that the Aussie bowlers are getting as I write this blog.

They have been literally massacred, reduced to looking like a bunch of school boy bowlers who have no idea what hit them...and it did hit them...I mean, each of the English batsmen has got a century or even more, making it clear to everyone that the Australian bowlers simply don’t have the firepower to dismiss a side like England twice in a test match. How the Australians plan to win the Ashes 2010 is still a mystery to me and you have a Ponting screaming out his lungs that they are going to whitewash the England side 5-0!!!

How come Kiwi players are always hurting?

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 04:27:36 PST

It seems to be a pattern that no cricket follower in New Zealand would like to acknowledge. Despite not playing too much cricket and being gifted with naturally impressive physiques, it seem that the kiwi bunch of cricketers are most prone to injuries. Take the case of Chris Cairns who at one point was regarded as the leading all-rounder in the game but succumbed to multiple injuries. The same thing happened to Dion Nash who probably wasn’t as good as Cairns but was a very useful swing bowler. The same thing happened to Geoff Allot, the unsung kiwi hero from the 99 world cup and the latest crop of bowlers from the nation located at the deepest end of the southern hemisphere, including Kyle Mills and Daryl Tuffey. Now, it seems that the virus of getting injured without actually doing too much is spread among the New Zealand batsmen. Just take a look at the current state of the test match between NZ and India being played at Nagpur. Jesse Ryder is hobbling all over the 22 yards and Brendon McCullum can hardly bend! What is with all these players—is there some injury-engaging element in their DNAs?

Against the Spin » Twenty20: Cricket’s great equalizer

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 04:25:12 PST

Against the Spin » Twenty20: Cricket’s great equalizer

I seriously disagree with this view. T20 does not create a level playing field. It only lowers the benchmarks needed to win the game to such an extent that the chances of mediocre teams rising to the fore and winning games increases exponentially. Just because some major teams have struggled T20 does not mean that T20 is a leveler....test cricket is a leveler because it does not allow any scope to hide your weaknesses and only the better team can win.

Laxman Again Proves: Age Argument Doesn’t Exist In Test Cricket

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:16:00 PST

VVS Laxman is truly team India’s saviour when it comes to bailing out the team from seemingly hopeless situations. However, not many people realize that he is also pushing 36 in terms of his ‘calendar’ age and yet, his batting aggregate in the last 15 or so test matches is close to 66!! In fact, it seems like Laxman has discovered the most consistent patch of his career. Further, he seems to have aborted all questions about age being a factor, i.e. at least in test cricket. Steve Waugh, Shane Warne and Glen McGrath were the others who proved that age has nothing to do with test cricket and even Tendulkar seems to be championing the same cause.

Is Resting So Many Players Needed?

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 21:54:20 PDT

Australia has been doing it for some time now and India seems to have suddenly woken up to the fact that its top players need to be rested ocassionally to ensure their well-being for the forthcoming World Cup 2012 and probably, to extend their careers. However, I do not understand the wisdom of resting so many players together. For instance, the Indian team is remarkably short on bowling potential and the Aussies are fielding some sort of an A team! And this is despite the fact that the Aussies are yet to win anything on their Indian trip.
Yes, preparing for the Ashes does seem paramount but doesn't winning matches leading up to a major series the best form of preparation? Australia used to do this in the past too but at that time, they had the kind of bench that could carry-on in the short-term absence of some seniors. I still cannot find anyone in their squad who is even as good as a Ponting or a Mike Hussey so suggesting that they are finding replacements is a bit of fanciful thinking. In this scenario, what is the kind of seriouness attached to the last ODI between Indian and Australia that is to be played in Goa??

Champions League 2010: Any Real Takers??

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 06:35:34 PDT

So the Chennai Super Kings have won the second edition of the Champions League but I still cannot get my head around the reason for hosting such tournaments. Just looking around, it seems that no one was really interested in whatever happened in South Africa, not at least in my part of the world. The matches had no build-up in terms of team rivalries or anything significant, there were no special players who have emerged from the tournament and apart from Dhoni who seemed pretty happy to add another trophy in 2010, no one really seemed really interested or desperate enough to put-in blood and sweat to win the matches. The regional players of T20 teams from around the world were overshadowed by the three Indian teams
that participated. That is another question I had in mind: how come three IPL teams get to qualify as against just one each from the rest of cricket-playing nations? Does this mean that IPL teams are superior to the runners-up in the English county league or for that matter, other T20 teams that finished second and third in their respective national leagues?? Just doesn't make any sense to me...well anyways, as Ravi Shastri said recently, in his typically mundane style of commentating that the "sponsors" are beginning to understand the worth of such tournaments....well, that is all that seems to matter in the world of cricket these days. You should confirm that with an individual called Salman Butt!!

Pakistan Fixing Scandal: Hardly Surprising

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 06:36:39 PDT

While this may sound unkind and outrightly rude to some folks, the fact is that most people who have been keenly following the game in and around the sub-continent have always believed or at least suspected that running of the game in Pakistan has always been clouded by match-fixers and the betting mafia that is very strong in these parts. It should be noted that the recent string of skeletons that seem to be tumbling out of the Pakistani dressing room are largely because of the kind of investigative media we have these days and not because the match-fixing has suddenly arisen. A few years ago, in Sharjah and in India, when such matters were reported, the technology available to the reporters and the sting journalists
was hardly penetrative as it is now. It was just a matter of time before those involved in making money by fooling the game's followers slipped in their methods and the ever-vigilant media dogs caught them red-handed...don't read too much into what is going to happen to the Pakistani players accused in this scandal...they will be banned for different durations only to be brought together as the World Cup 2011 draws near...again, not because the world cup is a very important tournament but also because it is going to be a big money-spinner for these spinsters.

India: World Champs, really?!!

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 19:20:31 PST

I find it very hard to believe that India are currently listed as the number one test team considering that their batsmen cannot play even average bowlers on pitches that put forth the most minimal of swing or pace. It was utterly disgusting to see the top-order of the famed Indian batting line-up to reach scores of about 100 runs against a rather mediocre Sri Lankan attack. Further, the skipper Dhoni seems to have entered some sort of a moronic phase of thinking wherein rather than talking about his team's deficiencies, he is more concerned about highlighting the state of the practice pitches or talking about the missed-century opportunity that happened to Sehewag. What happened to the real Dhoni, who came across as a very forthcoming and honest skipper who never backed down from accepting his team's debacles. Does this
have something to do with post-marital changes in a man's psyche?? I hope not....considering the number of players in the usual squad of XV who must be contemplating marriage!!

India ODI Matches ‘dry runs’ to World Cup 2011: Really Mr. Shastri??

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 20:36:41 PDT

This is referring to a recent published article that listed the views of India’s former captain, Mr. Ravi Shastri, wherein he has mentioned that the 18 or so ODIs that India has before the forthcoming WC 2011 matches are essentially practice matches. In fact, he used the term ‘dry runs’ to describe these matches.What I cannot figure out is how have 18 international matches been reduced to the pedestal of just being trial matches or what they now popular call ‘testing the bench strength’. Isn't every international match being played with the India cap and isn't it supposed to put the best available national talent on the field?

I can understand that some international-scale matches between European nations are often played as ‘friendlies’. However, the use of this term to label the matches ensures that the spectators understand the reality that the level of intensity and commitment they expect in an international encounter might be missing to some extent. At least, this labeling
ensures that the spectators and national followers of the game aren’t misled in any way. Similarly, a tobacco product has to carry an official warning about the injurious nature of the product. Whether this makes a difference to the judgment of a consumer or not is beyond the purview of this official warning.

Has the BCCI or any national representative of the game even bothered to inform that the forthcoming ‘non-friendlies’ featuring India are prone to be used as some sort of a testing ground for newer talents?

Dravid: The Falling Wall?

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 07:32:50 PDT

Often quoted as the Great Wall of India, Rahul Dravid just cannot get himself out of what cannot be referred to as a dry patch or being out-of-form but a strange phase wherein he just cannot occupy the crease long enough to justify such adjectives. It seems that the great batsman is either losing his reflexes or just playing a few test matches in a year simply means that he isn't getting enough international cricket to make him flourish at the crease in the manner that saw him conquer the best of South African and Australian bowling attacks. He is getting out to rather soft deliveries, none of them looking threatening enough for someone of Dravid's stature. Further, what is worrying is that his body seems to be moving a bit too much when playing the on-drives. A small but exaggerated shuffle towards the off-side seems to be the undoing in this case. Just imagine a team that is on the verge of losing Dravid and Laxman in the very near future.....any worthy new stars in the Indian batting line-up to vouch for such profiles??

Murali's Greatness: a never-ending cricketing controversy

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:11:00 PDT

Muralitharan has announced that the first test match between Sri Lanka and India would be his last test match as he wants to preserve himself for the forthcoming world cup that is scheduled to be hosted in the sub-continent. The decision is just a bit surprising considering that he is on the verge of breaking the 800 test wicket barrier; his currently tally being a tantalizing close affair at 792 scalps. Further, the tongues are already wagging about the legacy of the Lankan spin maestro. The only thing that I would like to highlight is that his achievements should not be looked down upon by Warne's die-hard supporters simply because both of them were able to extract a lot of their victims from conditions that were heavily loaded in their favor. While Murali playing on slow pitches at home was very obvious, many people don't seem to notice that Warne got a lot of his wickets by playing endless series of tests against West Indies and England sides that are among the two, poorest players of spin bowling in the last decade of cricket. If Murali got pitches to his liking, Warne got opponents who were notoriously bad players of quality spin....I would recommend some introspection before making judgmental decisions about Murali's "achievements" (the double-quote pun non intended).

England Rising? Wins against Australia Suggest so...

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:09:13 PDT

It is hard to imagine that Strauss, the English captain, can actually adapt to the ODI style of batting but as it turns out, in the current One-day series against Australia, his style of batting is perfectly suited to the kind of pitches that are on display. The ball is seaming around and Strauss' typical style of batting wherein the emphasis is on collecting singles through shoves and pushes seems to be invaluable. And yes, England have won the series now!! This is remarkable considering that they usually struggle to even defeat teams like the WI on their own pitches. What seems to have really worked for the Poms is their recent victory in the T20 World Cup. The team has carried that momentum into the series and the Kangaroos have been surprised without a doubt. Add to this, the presence of useful bowlers like Swann and Broad and the England team does look like a good ODI unit for the first time in probably, the last ten years.

Proteas + Irish Contributions = England Wins

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 01:07:39 PDT

You cannot deny that this is the current situation in the English cricket team. Just take out the South African Kevin Pietersen from their test match performances over the last four years and team would have struggled to even come close to be counted among the top, four test cricket teams in the ICC rankings. Now, it seems that the Irish batsman, Eoin Morgan, is doing a similar act for England in their ODIs against Australia. Just look at the statistics of the first game wherein he scored a century to bail out the English side. Combine this with Morgan’s T20 performances and surely England could not have won the ICC T20 world cup without his services. I hope the immigration rule-markers in England are aware of these facts or may be they are and that is why England seems to gobble-up international players and presents them as its own!!

Indian vs Pakistan: Still the same flavor??

noreply@blogger.com (ak) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 05:26:28 PDT

I would guess not considering that the number of matches played between 2004 and 2007 entered the zone of being excessive. Further, the kind of tension that used to exist at Sharjah matches seems to have disappeared. Yes, the last match played at the Asia Cup was still enthralling and I was glad to see Gautam Gambhir give a verbal thrashing to Kamran Akmal. However, I still feel that the passion of such clashes has somewhat diminished….or it could be that the alternative means of entertainment has made us a bit immune to what such matches offer.