Given the wide disparity between the teams currently playing Test cricket, should there be two tiers of Test cricket?
The first day's play at Chittagong was a disaster for the hosts!
South Africa rattled up 405 without loss on the first day's playing, flaying the Bangladesh bowling to all parts of the ground. Captain Graeme Smith has so far hit a double-century on the first day's play, and is well-set for an assault on Brian Lara's individual Test batting record of 400 not out.
Neil McKenzie, his opening partner, has also hit an unbeaten century, and the only likely result, given Bangladesh's poor batting line-up, is for the hosts to follow-on and to lose by an innings and runs....
Should Bangladesh be playing Test cricket? I think the answer to that one is 'yes', because how else will they improve?
But should they be playing Test cricket against teams as strong as South Africa? Surely, a humiliation like this can't be good for the development of Bangladeshi cricket!
ENGLAND VS WEST INDIES
Recently, England hammered the West Indies in a test series, but the Windies won the ODI series. So, these teams are more evenly matched in ODIs than they are in Tests....
South Africa crushed New Zealand in the Tests, but the Kiwis won one of the ODI matches. Even Zimbabwe recently won an ODI against the Windies, and Bangladesh beat India in an ODI in the World Cup.
But the situation is different in the Tests. I mean, what's the point of the Windies playing a Test series against the Australians? The Windies will get crushed and demoralised, and some promising young cricketers' careers will be in ruins.
New Zealand have been hammered by South Africa, and the same will happen when they go to England next summer. Pakistan were beaten at home by South Africa, and they were convincingly beaten by India.
Wouldn't it be better if the weaker Test nations played more Tests against each other?
TWO DIVISIONS
The first division could include Australia, South Africa, England, India, and maybe Sri Lanka.
The second division would then include Pakistan, New Zealand, West Indies, Bangladesh, and maybe ZImbabwe, when they are ready to be re-admitted.
Let's call the first division the Elite Group, and the other teams the Secondary Group....
HOW IT WOULD WORK
The teams in the Elite Group are required by the ICC to play each other home and away within a four-year period, playing a minimum of three Tests or a maximum of five Tests per series. The same would also hold for the teams in the Secondary Group when they play each other....
However, when the teams from the Elite Group play teams in the Secondary Group, the rules change! Those teams are then required by the ICC to play each other home and away within an eight-year period, playing a minimum of two Tests, and a maximum of three Tests.
After an eight-year cycle, the team that finishes bottom of the Elite group goes down, and the team that finishes tp of the Secondary Group goes up.
That way, the Windies would still play Australia, but not as often as they would play New Zealand....
And Australia would have more series against England and India.
Do you think this would work?
Friday, 29 February 2008
Two-tiered Test cricket?
Thursday, 28 February 2008
In Search of a Treble
ICC U 19 CWC 2008: Second Semi Final: Pakistan U 19 vs South Africa U 19
I had begun to write the article before the match had begun....something cropped up, and I had to leave watching.
As luck would have it, rain poured down and interrupted play, so the match continues today (Saturday).
Today, I will attempt to cover it from the recommencement of the Pakistan innings and review the match as they show us the re-run.
DAY 2
It is said to be raining in Malaysia on day two. Only 1.1 overs of play are required to make a match of it. If only as much play is possible today, Pakistan will need 5 runs from it to qualify. However, if no play is possible, SA go through as they are ahead under the D/L system.
In case more play is possible than the 1.1 overs, then the target for Pakistan will be according to D/L system and we will only know when the game starts what that target is.
Phew! Plenty of D/L there...Pakistan would like to have play commence sometime today while SA would love to have it rain all day.
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
Good Viewing All
The Good Viewing All thread is a discussion thread started by Soulberry on the 606 board when TMS closed.
It was a thread where a few of us mature cricket lovers would get together and chat about cricket in a wum-free atmosphere.
And gradually, as time went on, interest grew, and we attracted visitors from outside our ranks, and the discussion continued to grow in interest.
But since the thread got posted on the Silly Point in an unnecessary announcement, it has attracted the most unsavoury back-biting behaviour, that has threatened the thread's existence. Posts have been reported, for the first time ever, and even deleted.
Now, the thread itself is under moderation.
Where do we go from here?
Do we start a new thread if the GVA thread is closed? Or do we transfer all our discussions here?
Any thoughts....
Brett Lee's Medal
The 2008 Allan Border medal was pinned upon the capable chest of Brett Lee.
Cricket Australia has the details of the function.
It means a lot to Australian cricketers and they vie for it through their performances.
I am a known Lee admirer...best of the lot....not only did he win it with his game, but he plays it like it was designed to be...tough to the core, competitive to the last inch of the bail, but always with a smile, respect for his opponents, and a very large heart.
Well played, Brett!
How Records Are Built in Cricket
The thing is, his record speaks for itself in cricket. It's a certain line that you can go to and you know when you push it - and he just pushes it all the time. That is why he's been charged more than anyone that has ever played in the history of cricket.
Hayden to Brisbane Radio on Harbhajan
No fine was imposed on Hayden but he was issued a reprimand after a hearing on Wednesday by the Code of Conduct commissioner Ron Beazley. Hayden was charged under Rule 9 of CA's Code of Behaviour, which prohibits detrimental public comment.
-- Cricinfo
I maintain my innocence, my intentions were never to denigrate cricket or anyone. But in the spirit of cricket I respect and accept the decision.
Hayden on the verdict
BCCI - (so much for the baiters and bashers)
CA has taken a decision and the matter is closed as far as we are concerned
-- Niranjan Shah on the verdict
This is how records are totted up for quote later or remain unopened forever.
Behind that publicly much-crossed chest hides a very poor man supplicating the devil.
Will I ever wake up early again to follow cricket in Australia as I enjoyed doing so many years ago? Not a chance if such play for Australia! The excitement of my first ever test match live at the ground (1969 Kotla vs Australia Ian Chappell century) is confined to nostalgia...these so called tough nut players aren't going to intrude there...and Ian was no meek man, but was a cricketer by any standard.
These fellows aren't. These guys are as fake as the fake steroid muscles of a pretender.
Update:
I came across a post elsewhere which brought this YouTube video for everyone to see. The discussion there is shocked at a deeply religious man like Hayden's approach to young men like Ishant.
He did also take notice of a young Harbhajan back then going by his own words.
The concerned post elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Virtualciti directs us to this nice snippet from a weblog...Laugh or Cry!
Well then, what was the Joke?
Symonds on getting out asked Sharma,”Hey thanks, where’re the restrooms?”, causing Sharma to point his fingers towards the pavillion. Well, that’s how he got reported by Ponting. Well trapped!
A great take from Vineet Raj Kapoor of One Day Cricket writing in Sledging an Art Form?
Check out the blog...it's interesting. Read More......
Ravindra Jadeja Drives India into Finals
ICC U 19 CWC 2008 Semi Final: India U 19 vs New Zealand U 19
India win by 3 wickets with 9 balls remaining
Previous post on the match - The Kiwis Might Have Done Enough
The Kiwi Colts were not disgraced....this was the toughest match India played in this tournament against a traditional Indian nemesis in ICC events - New Zealand.
Corey Anderson came in at 4-90 for New Zealand, on a difficult pitch where initial acclimatization was called for, and the upbeat Indians on the verge of rampaging through again. And what an innings he played! 70 wonderful runs to lift New Zealand to what, in the end and in the circumstances, was a remarkable effort towards a winning total.
It did look like it was enough, The Kiwis fielded like tigers. Southee and Boult were devastating. Two of the top three scorers in this tournament went within 40 runs...Taruwar Kohli and the flamboyant Tanmay Srivastava.
Goswami hasn't had the best bating tournament thus far and captain Virat Kohli walked in. This was the partnership which stabilized the doddering ship. Between the two they added 82 porecious runs under tremendous bowling and fielding pressure exerted by the Kiwis. That they did at a fast clip in the scenario is a measure of their enterprise. Virat Kohli looked composed and classy...flowing drives and all. Goswami was the intrepid innovator...an uppercut here and a deft nudge there.
From this point on, the Kiwis hit back hard...they first had Goswami playing on...dragging a wide one from Southee onto the stumps soon after his fifty going for the square-cut. A little later Virat Kohli was taken by Williamson off Worker. India had the all-rounders left now and a difficult pitch and an ask already a little steep due to the D/L system which came into play after a brief rain interrruption.
Pandey smashed a few and perished in the same manner. The New Zelanders sensed a win here and were tightening the noose. Guptill-Bunce their keeper was on the ball....he plucked a few amazing catches behind the stumps to bring the Kiwis right back into the match.
During the procession, Ravindra jadeja held on calmly and guided India home with a lofted drive over mid-off for the winning run. His 29 not out was more valuable than the quantum the numbers depict. It was the vice-captain's day today to take up the baton from the captain and see India through to the finals where they expect to meet Pakistan - the defending champions on a hat-trick!
It was a curious bowling performance from India and the captain's choice was surprising. Argal, the best on display, bowled only six overs! Sangwan didn't look threatening at all on this helpful pitch where there was uneven bounce.
Tanmay Srivastava got 10 overs to bowl!
Did Virat Kohli decide to give match exposure to his entire bowling arsenal? Was he that confident? All the bowlers in the squad, part-timers and full-fledged, got a go. Makes you wonder. Abdulla and Sangwan, the most experienced, were the only ones who didn't pick any wickets.
India's bowling causes concern...if Sangwan doesn't fire, they are at best restrictive.
India await the winners of Pakistan vs South Africa. South Africa have bounced back strongly of late with a monster victory the match before, but Pakistan defeated Australia and their bowling led by Adil Raza looks deadly. Their spin department is wily.
I'm tipping Pakistan to set up their shot at their third in a row....what a clash that will be - Pakistan vs India yet again!
The Weed Smoulders Down Under
On Ishant:
I like the idea of actually getting into the ring (with him). I like that, bring it on.
On Harbhajan :
I called him a bad boy. He took offence to that and I thought that was quite funny. I said, 'Mate you should be flattered, it's a clothing range'."
------
India were complaining so much on this tour was because they are losing every game they are playing.
-----
The first time I ever met him he was the same little obnoxious weed that he is now. His record speaks for itself in cricket.
The Smouldering Weed down under has revealed that he cannot compete with Ishant Sharma's bowling skills with his flat-bully bat. So much is evident now that this articficial mountain of runs now wants to take on Ishant instead in a boxing ring.
How deluded can a Slogaydos be about his hulk !...Clearly he hasn't heard of Mohammed Ali...who flits like a butterfly and stings like a bee. He could well find Ishant does something similar to him and knocks those uncricketing b@lls of his back into his weed choked throat. Ishant was underestimated by the Australian top order and they paid for it...yet again this fellow underestimated Ishant's slender frame.
What kind of 37 year old man is he? Wants to fight a 19 year old much frailer-looking than he? The jerk will fing he might have bitten off more than he bargained for if Ishant actually deigned toi step into the ring with him. The Oaf should know looks can be deceptive.
So I call Hayden a Oaf and Nut and Crank and whatever...I find them funny too and I think they are great nrand names too!
He's seriosly smoking pot, yes this Hayden is whacked off the equilibrium, India losing everything! The dope doesn't realize that Australia has lost quite a lot in this series....but how can the befuddled brain of the Ox realize what Australia has lost in this series. yeah sure...count the Bucknored in your win Bully...that's how you can win a test series.
This dumb oaf goes to show us he found Harbhajan obnoxious the first time he saw him....and he talks about records. The idiot should realize that if there weren't cowards in the form of Proctor and Jeff Crowe who either fear for their lives in pulling up an Australian in Australia (the Australian public can throw things at you...yesterday it might have been an egg oto your face, tomorrow it might be a brick to your head...who knows?), or they are afraid of losing their cushy job at Australian Speed run ICC. Of course if you keep letting off mentally deranged men like Symonds and The Oaf...they aren't going to have a record! Count the sly whippersnapper called Ricky in this...
I heard that radio show here...it was played all over the channels...it was clearly catering to a type of Australian follower of the game,and who have been most vocal and obnoxious,synchronized and encouraged right through, and the man and the woman along with The Weed-choked Oaf were stars for that segment of Australian cricket spectators. You'll find any number of them on various boards if you'll care to look around. They have typical lines of conversation and content.You see these kind of promos in all these fraud wrestling entertainment one finds on every sports channel...they go by too many names to remember.
Just observe how these idiots have been let off time and again...the Oaf, the Slymo and the cunning whippersnapper. Isn't it time the BCCI actually flexed their muscles now...they've been accused of it when they didn't..I think they should now and clear the Augean cricket stables of Speed, Weed and other such nefarious narcotics such as these. They should be running cricket not trying to push along these dopes onto us....take action ICC, or be damned as unilateral, biased cowards forever!
A note to Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad...sling out these malcontents...they are trying to get chucked out rather than leave because there may be penalty clauses to evade...there are the Stanford Billions beckoning per match...I say get rid of them, penalty clause or not...the money lost will be well spent for you will be wiser while selecting players next time. Get rid of the idiots...who don't play cricket in the spirit of the game.
I'm withdrawing support to Hyderabad IPL team if Symonds plays for them...I don't care how wonderful a player he is...he should learn to be a better person first.
I'm not supporting Chennai anyway and I'm not going to support an oaf like Slogaydos anyway.,...his cricketing skills and achievements be damned....they matter little when it is a jerk like he. Let them go play elsewhere...it will be a better world for all. Clear cricket off these gutter dregs.
And Oh...I'm not apologizing this time...I accepted the general consensus back then...courtesy to wiser (and better) fellow-bloggers...gave benefit of doubt...I warned earlier about these idiots and their slimeb@ll ways. Read More......
Brad Hogg Retires
I admit I am taken aback when I read this news today. Hogg is a vital cog in the Australian one day team and has performed creditably for them. He may not have been as successful in test matches as a bowler but his career was just taking shape. He did weigh in with the bat and might have played a role in Australia's 2-1 series victory in the test series against India. Also, he has played a hand in the CB series.
Why I am not entirely surprised is 1) he isn't young 2) he hasn't really glued into the spinning slot in test matches (McGain is being called for by many and UJ most consistently) and 3) at this age it is better to prepare for life after international cricket.
He mentions personal reasons for the decisions, fair enough. The leagues and upcoming Stanford Millions could be a better option at this stage of one's career.
I wish him well.
The Kiwis Might Have Done Enough
ICC Under 19 CWC 2008 Semi Final: India U 19 vs New Zealand U 19
Scorecard
The pitch is difficult and at 160 for 6 off 45, New Zealand could just have done enough already to win this match. Indian batsmen will be sorely tested by their eternal ICC events nemesis - New Zealand.
Southee is a strong performer for NZ, as is Boult.
Bracewell, of an illustrious cricketing lineage, is taking New Zealand to a safe position in this semi-final encounter simply by staying with Corey Anderson , who is playing a match-winning knock in all respects. The character of his innings is such....and what a huge six! He is a blow away from an excellent fifty...48 now.
A four to 3rd man and that is Anderson's fifty. On a difficult pitch, he has done all things right to scatter the Indian stranglehold.
New Zealand have ended at what I feel could be a winning total on this pitch. The Kiwis have played well to put up the score while India might have been carried away and depended a lot on the pitch to do it for them.
Target 208, for India.
Monday, 25 February 2008
One match - US$20 million!
Allen Stanford is offering a prize of US$20 million to the winner of a one-off 20/20 match between the West Indies and an opponent to be named!
Mikesiva analyzes the offer
That is a lot of money for a short game of cricket....
But that is where the money is. Twenty/20 cricket is flowing in cash in India, where obscene amounts of money are being used to bid for national and international players. Stanford tried to lure the Indians to the Caribbean for the one-off match, but the American billionaire was turned down.
So, instead, Stanford says that he will approach England or Australia with the offer. With US$20 million on offer, I'm sure he'll find a taker sooner or later!
Stanford, who has made his home in the small Leeward island of Antigua, has just finished the successful staging of the domestic 20/20 competition that bears his name. Critics have expressed scepticism about its value, but are these criticisms fair?
One criticism is that the quality of play was poor. But to say that, one has to look at the first staging, at the end of 2006, and compare it to this year's staging, before making such a judgment. When you make that comparison, you can see that the standard of play in this shortened version of the game has improved.
And how good are the Windies at 20/20 cricket? Yes, they crashed out of the World 20/20 Cup in South Africa, but how did they fare in 20/20 matches on recent tours? They shared two on a recent tour of England, and did the same on their tour of South Africa....
So, the WIndies can hold their own in 20/20 cricket. Players at English county teams would do well to remember that before looking down their noses at the Stanford competition!
Finally, how good a job is the competition doing at bringing new fans into the game? Well, the matches at the Stanford ground in Antigua have been sold out, and a lot of the fans come from the untraditional base of women and children. This attendance contrasts with the regional four-day game, the Carib Series, which is often played in front of three men and a dog....
Yes, there is room for improvement. By and large, the batting has been disappointing, especially from the more established West Indies stars, who failed to sparkle. Chris Gayle just didn't get going, after recovering from injuries that cut short his tour of South Africa. Neither did WI stalwarts Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, who were both anonymous for Guyana.
And yet those three players are the ones signed up to India's IPL 20/20 competition, which bowls off in mid-April....
A lot of Caribbean players are unaccustomed to playing under lights, and the poor strokes from some of the batsmen, and the poor catching in the deep, might've had something to do with that. Quite simply, this is something that needs to be worked on.
However, the bowling was very impressive. A number of reputations were enhanced by this year's Stanford competition.
More than one team successfully used a spinner as one of the opening bowlers. After this innovation, we can expect a number of international teams around the world to also follow suit....
Spinners took a lot of wickets this year, which is a plus from a bowling point of view. However, a lot of Caribbean batsmen failed to use their feet to the spinners, and that must be a source of concern for coaches around the region.
Who were the top performers?
The 21-year old Trinidadian opener William Perkins was the top batsman, amassing 174 runs at an average of 58. However, the unheralded 24-year old Jamaican Danza Hyatt outshone the stars in his team to come in second with 161 runs at an average of 50. The only West Indian regular to notch up runs of any note was Dwayne Bravo of Trinidad, who hit 101 runs at an average of 50.
Interestingly, the only century of the match was hit by 37-year old veteran John Eugene, a former St Lucia and Windward Islands batsman who now plays for the tiny Dutch island of St Maarten. Good knocks were also made by Windies middle order batsman Marlon Samuels, WI prospects Ryan Hinds, Xavier Marshall, Jonathan Carter, Lendl Simmons and Sylvester Joseph.
The two wicketkeepers to contribute with the bat were Andre Fletcher of Grenada, who made 74 runs at an average of 37, and Barbadian Patrick Browne, who notched up 62 runs at an average of 31. Both were very tidy behind the stumps.
Trinidadian chinaman spinner Dave Mohammed was the leading star with the ball, taking a mammoth 12 wickets, snaring two man-of-the-match performances in the process. Guyanese allrounder Lennox Cush snared the competition's first-even hat-trick to take second place with eight wickets, while among those taking six wickets each were Jerome Taylor, Rayad Emrit, Suleiman Benn, and Dwayne Smith.
So, who would make my Stanford all-stars XI? I'm sure others will have a different line-up, but this is mine, based primarily on performances in this year's competition:
1) William Perkins (Trinidad)
2) Andre Fletcher (Grenada)
3) Marlon Samuels (Jamaica)
4) Danza Hyatt (Jamaica)
5) John Eugene (St Maarten)
6) Dwayne Bravo (Trinidad)
7) Ryan Hinds (Barbados)
8) Lennox Cush (Guyana)
9) Rayad Emrit (Trinidad)
10) Dave Mohammed (Trinidad)
11) Jerome Taylor (Jamaica)
What would your XI be?
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Trinidad and Tobago Ruin Jamaican Innings
Finals Update: Trinidad and Tobago vs Jamaica, Stanford 20/20, 2008
Jamaican Innings
The young but ambitious team from Trinidad and Tobago rode their wagons all over the Jamaican fields, leaving a trail of destruction, confusion and dreams all in ruins.
Jamaica is bowled out for 91 in the 17th over!
Good bowling? Yes siree! But add a bit of shoddy cultivation of the innings on behalf of the Jamaicans.
Can they defend this one? I'm prepared to be fooled by the Jamaicans later, but I'm not prepared to be fooled by myself right now....this match is goin' the Trini way!
Stanford 20/20 Finals: Trinidad and Tobago vs Jamaica
Finals: Trinidad and Tobago vs Jamaica, Stanford 20/20, 2008
There are two teams in this years finals which have one common link...nerve. There is one which defended 120 and another who staved off a late charge by none other than the defending champs who were best equipped with all necessary for these conditions. T&T and Jamaica are squaring off....Who will Rise...to the million dollar dream?
The teams -
Jamaica : SE Findlay, XM Marshall, MN Samuels, DP Hyatt, CH Gayle, WW Hinds, CS Baugh, DE Bernard, JE Taylor, NO Miller, DBL Powell
Trinidad and Tobago : Simmons, WKD Perkins, D Ganga, DJ Bravo, KA Pollard, D Ramdin, RA Kelly, S Ganga, S Badree, D Mohammed, RR Emrit
Merv Dillon sits out for T&T and Kelly is in. T&T win the toss and elect to chase. Is that a wise move? Let the wagon roll so we can see what lies ahead!
Jamaica is Mikey's team and T&T is MP's and my team...so we have a little something going here too!
Scorecard
Ryad Emrit is da maan! Second ball and he has Findlay edgeing to the big gloves! Jamaica are 0 for 1! Marlon to the fore now please, alongside Xavier Marshall.
Marshall paddles that one down the river! 444444444! First of the match to deep fine leg.
Jamaica 5-1 after the first.
Samuel Badree picks it up from the other end, a Chris Harris kind of bowler, he comes on to Marlon.
Is that out? Down the leg....no. No LB there.
Good over from Badree.
6-1 after 2.
Badree strikes! Clean bowled Marshall....Jamaica 42-2.
I missed out some in between.
And now Bravo picks up Samuels! Marlon skies it high and high and not wide....Lendl Simmons takes it at mid-off...Bravo strikes Marlon out.
48-3.
After 9, Jamaica 49-3. This is a huge one...T&T looking good to be millionaries tonight!
Dave Mohammed comes on. Ganga ringing the changes here. Hyatt and Gayle at the crease.
Beat him! In the flight and off the pitch outside the off...edge goes down to third man. 51-3. Could the keeper have done something with that? Plenty I suppose if he were a jumping magic bean!
Bravo to Gayle...captain to captain...4444444444! Down the leg side and tucked away.
The Umpire is down! Billy needs a Doctor. Quick single and the fielder knocks the bails off im and Billy is flat on the ground. Not too hurt is he? No...
57-1 in the 12th
Swept away for one...58-3 and sharp line by T&Tians.
What was that? Gayle advances to send it into space and loses confidence.
Bowled!!!! Gayle bowled off the next ball!
The ball rolled off the bat and Dave Mohammed has the biggest fish of em all!
Jamaica down but not out.
58-4 after 12.
gayle never looked comfortable....all at sea in his stay. T&T on top and going for the prize.
Wavell Hinds gets a let off! Second ball lofted high to the straight fielder where Rayad Emrit makes ground, holds the catch and spills it during the slide.
Hinds can blast you away...he was Gayle's contemporary...costly? We'll see. Bravo the bowler.
There have been a couple of spills tonight and so far they haven't cost T&T much.
Bravo appeals for LBW, but the batsman had already walked four steps forward maan!
62-4 off 13.
Dave Mohammed has Hyatt in a bind...can't figure him out.
He's gone!....Hyatt goes...stumped Ramdin down the leg side.
He didn't know which way the ball was going and just ventured out to see! Dave Mohammed is rolling the Jamaicans out here. And now he puts his boot to his ear and is talking to someone in a play-act telephone! Weird kinda telephone that....can anyone clue me in to what's behind that?
Baugh comes in.
Didn't have much clue to that other than it was on leg stump line...plonks his foot far forward, shuts his eyes and sweeps to the boundary...Baugh up and running with a boundary. Looked good at the end of it, but the secret of shut eyes was out on slo mo.
69-5 off 14
Tight stuff....and it is raining! And just as everyone wanted that ball to be done so they could rush back...Baugh pulls the ball over mid-wicket for a 666666666!
And the rain goes instantly with that shot! Much needed that six...Ganga's the bowler.
78-5.
Ah...that ball slips through the wide legs of that fielder...a single.
80-5...Hinds 8 and baugh 13.
30 balls to go and Mohammed begins his final with a wide.
The ball must have gone slippery with that drizzle.
50 from here takes Jamaica to 130 but they haven't looked as if they batted that well till now. But things could change....
Carlton Baugh has ideas! He's going to make this last over count....takes his leg out of the way and another 666666666666! to mid-wicket. Mohammed may give in his last over...
OUT!!!!!! Next ball! Bowled going for the same shot but half-hearted and robotically....Dave had just changed the line.
89-6!
Bravo now effects a ruin out! Jamaica collapsing in this over...89-7!
Bravo flicks horizontally from mid-off to the keeper and catches the wickets before the runner can make the crease!
This is disaster! My heart goes out to good friend Mikey!
And that is bowled too!
The 16th over has ruined Jamaica.....that's clean bowled as a whistle gone old!
89-8. off 16.
Dat was Jerome taylor...and through all this Wavell Hinds is standing stunned at the other end.
Dave Mohammed is now rolling on the ground. His job is done for this match...and what a spell! 4 wickets for 20 off his 4.
OUTTTT! Ryad Emrit has Hinds lofting straight and high to BRAAAAAVO in the deep! 9 down and still 21 balls to go!
91-9 and over! Bowled next ball Jamaica all out for 91!
I had a hunch about the young uns...what a magnificient performance by Trinidad and Tobago!
Some poor batting helped great bowling and energy. Jamaica looked cowed from the word go....can they bounce back? Nothing to lose now and everything to gain! I expect to see Powell and Jamaica come charging out onto the ground.
Trinidad and Tobago Bat
A Dangerous Mind
I hate bringing this up again, that same old story of Big ICY, Big ICY's black-suited mafiosos, and Slymouth and his shenanigans; but Slymouth forces himself upon us whether we like it or not! And he gets away like Big ICY's spoilt brat.
The world is always at fault when Slymouth is involved. Of course, no amount of evidence to the contrary is enough, no amount of evidence of his abnormal behaviour is adequate to be considered for some form of treatment....everyone else must suffer.
I was pulled up by one and all when I put up a post here towards the tail end of Slymouth-Hornbajaana saga.
That time I warned that this person is likely to create more trouble in future and Big ICY had erred in letting him off or ignoring his behaviour time and again. It was obvious encouragement and appeasement of a malcontent for some strange reason.
Scorn was heaped upon me. Thinly veiled sarcasm about my own state of mind was suggested by some very respected men. I was painted a dreamweaver, and fictionalist, and alarmist. A forum talked down to me. No problem....I accepted everyone's views and stepped back to watch. I knew this would happen again.
One didn't have to wait long...it had to happen again and it did. I again remind readers that it is just as likely that Slymouth will get into trouble outside the field too. Keep watching this space for when such news comes along.
But Big ICY ignores still and goes around instead junking the world. What is this? Is this a mafia at work?
Slymouth now provokes Dishant and escapes yet again, while Dishant is in a soup. Dishant faces a hearing, a likely fine or ban, or risks being silenced by the Big ICY's mafiosos. How's that for neutralizing yet another dangerous bowler before a possible final? But then I am hallucinating all over again...it's the conspiracy theory of a paranoid mind at work again eh? Or is it a mafia nexus at work elsewhere?
Anyway...let us forget Slymouth, his dangerous mind, Big ICYs and mafiosos for the time being...I have for you instead a YouTube video clipping of Andrew Symonds, the Australian player, and Ishant Sharma, an Indian bowler from today's CB series match. Enjoy the brilliant bowling by the youngster and please make sure to watch from 00.29 onwards in the clock embedded in the video player for the slow motion replay of the dismissal. Interesting...
Straight Points Scores a Bull's Eye
INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE invites controversy and debate. For various reasons. Many are valid and unmotivated concerns. One would naturally poke and prod at the new cow they are purchasing....look into its mouth for a debilitating disability, lift up the tail and scan for hidden ailments, palpate the udder for sustainable capacity, thump the flanks to look for tender spots and check out the hooves for clues to a hidden malaise. Natural, when presented with any new endeavour.
One satisfies himself and brings the cow into the fold, but is never certain till the first season is done. It is then that the cow reveals its character with complete clarity and it's worth and personality really known, and either becomes part of the household, or is let out for good.
We all have debated, wondered, been sceptical and astounded, have looked around for fair points and for suspicious spots. It's all over the web and it was all over the world media till they got nauseated and moved on to other news.
Not many, I'm certain, not a single one, has come across so openly and convincingly as Straight Points has with this blogpost of his.
It is worth a read and a lot more consideration.
Australia Win Convincingly
Final Match Report: CB Series 2008 : Match Ten : India vs Australia
Earlier live match observations are here.
Australia won their meaningless (from series point of view) encounter with a convincing 18 run margin. After winning the toss and electing to bat on a pitch thought by Ricky and Dhoni to slow-up later, they belted the Indian attack all over for 317 wonderful runs to break the shackles Indian bowlers were conjuring upon the Australian batting. Then they came together to crush India...first by knocking over the top order of four wickets in quick succession for some free change....51 runs, my earlier article reminds me(Yep, that was the point when I chose to go over postponed weekend chores). Then they held on and pumped up the pressure to defeat India by a clear margin of 18 runs.
India thought they had a game on all along. Such was the illusion in Gambo and Dhnoi's mind. Dhoni left less than half-way through the chase and at 149-5 in the 31st, I was certain Australia would win this game.
They did that....and with their main purpose of this game already served by showing India who was the boss in the first innings (and getting over the Ishant-Sreeshant Shanti-Shanti incantation was paramount), they decided to conserve their bowling energies after having destroyed the foundation of India's chase.
In that period it was that the illusions of a chase began to germinate....Gambo actually thought he could win it all on his own and went ahead to belt out a run-a-ball century. Well almost at even rate.....his second century of this series. Lest the Indians think it was worth something, or had any significance other than a personal statistical highlight, let me remind them that they were always behind during it all despite Australia easing off the gas to conserve their energies for the finals.
I mean Harsha slowly oozing into believing a game was on is expected....he is like you and me....in most respects a cricket watcher and the difference being he's paid for it....but the real guys knew. The ex-players in the box never ever let it out even if they were illusioned similarly for they knew it was impossible.
Curiously, everyone believed Robin also believed India could win. I mean....here was a guy who was using a tailor-made opportunity to push forward his own personal statement or CV with no liabilities, and there was everyone believing he was going to win it for them! Even after Gambo left after ensuring his statsical highlight! And not just that...Pathan too was just whacking away to get back a few scored off him and to keep Priety in good humor after that expensive buy, and everyone believed India was geting there in T20 fashion! Amazing, what people imagine and are ready to believe! I didn't once waver....India were merely learning.
To make matters worse, even Slater began to sweat when Harbhajan flayed a few...the crowd was berserk and Sunny was popping out of his skin, Harsha had already fused out...it got to Slats and his voice wavered. It can happen to the best of men. Don't they see? These guys had nothing to lose and made use of the opportunity without liability. Harbhajan was doing nothing more than giving a fitting reply to Ponting...or so he thought. It might have been if he had helped his team win like Ricky did...or Slymo did...or Slogaydos did. But this is Australia maan....they control the game...test, one day, or T20. They can switch you off whenever they feel like.
Just when they decided that they had conceded enough entertainment to the crowds, thus ensuring more crowds at all subsequent matches in this tournament, they rose and switched India off. Australia actually crushed India by 18 runs even though there may be some who believe it was much closer than that.
The illusions these youngsters create...tchah!...and all for a greater value in next season's IPL bidding. Do they ever learn? Do they ever win anything for India? All they do is create illusions that go poooofff when it's business time....don't believe me?
Well, you could then ask the Australians if they hadn't flipped switches as they pleased in this match....
The Indian bowling didn't respond to the gameplan of Australia, you could tweak the captain's ear here, and the Indian batting continues to be a blasted sieve...something sticks while most falls through unhindered and without resistance. Till these concerns are addressed, everything is an illusion, including the learning part.
Now this is a real game to think about !
Ottayan of In the name of cricket has awakened me to the seriousness of IPL through this blogpost of his.
I didn't think of it as yet, but this is a job to be done! I have two two teams in the fray and that's a lot of selection.
You could head over to Ottayan's and help him out with his choices and you could list out here too your suggestions for Delhi Daredevils and Hyderabad.
The house is open for suggestions for Delhi and Hyderabad....we need a mascot too!
Taruwar Kohli leads India into ICC U 19 Semi finals
ICC Under 19 CWC: India U19 vs England U19, Quarter Finals
India beat England by 7 wickets
Other ICC U 19 CWC results today -
1) South Africa crush BD by 201 runs to enter semi finals.
2) Namibia beat Malaysia by nine wickets in Playoff Quarter Finals
3) Nepal beat Zimbabwe by 99 runs in Playoff Qurater Finals
Live Match observations
Taruwar Kohli, the Jallandhari opener of India under 19 maintained his focus and saw India home with an unbeaten 63. he leads the runs table of this ICC U 19 CWC with 207 runs in 4 innings at an average of 69.
He is not a ripper , and prefers to play the anchor role, which became important today when India at the doorstep of victory chose to be frivolous. The reliable Captain Virat, third on the list, and the dashing Tanmay Srivastava before him, and second on the same list of leading scorers, chose to add a dash of careless style to the win and perished.
With some 30 odd runs to go, it wasn't dangerous but still revealed a chink for teams to explore. Business must be business-like and a larger victory is that much better goiung into the next match. Getting out in a silly way takes you back to square one in the next match.
England began cautiously, perhaps due to Sangwan's reputation, and remained so till the last wicket fell. Sangwan wasn't swinging it prodigiously today on the other hand. Argal was accutrate too, had a few good shouts, took the first wicket, but wasn't threatening more than restriction. The same goes for the other bowlers. The England pair at the crease looked comfotable and careful...fair enough at the start. Good to get your eye in...but what next? What do you do after getting your eye in? You try and match up your runs with balls faced. England didn't do that and looked as if they didn't know how.
Their interpretation of attacking cricket, which came in a sudden burst after a long long period of settling in, meant slogs to the the cow corner with head high and eyes closed. How many played that way and perished caught or bowled!
Strike rotation wasn't considered during the settling-in period and there was no one to bring calculated aggression into the picture to keep things ticking over. Pressure builds up in such situations, as it did in every partnership, and results in desperation.
Mind you, the boys were not technically ill-equipped against seamers...they just weren't bold enough. Too much caution.
When the spinners came on, they looked to play them from within the crease. They looked safe and competent when they did that, but the score wouldn't budge with such play. So, they'd then dance out for release...and released they'd be. This one is a technical flaw in most. They didn't use their feet enough or judiciously against spinners. For most part of their innings, the Indian bowlers were allowed to bowl as they pleased.
That is my another worry. From what I have seen in every match, it is Sangwan India seems to depend upon for initial penetration. If he were to have an off day, or were not able to get a wicket, their plan B is containment and waiting for errors. OK...that's good and all you can ask for, but the lack of proactive penetrativeness is worrisome. Most wickets fell to the pressure of not scoring runs for periods of time. So while the tactics succeeded for India, what if someone takes charge of the attack? England probably don't play that kind of cricket, but Australia, Pakistan, Lanka, South Africa...all play that game.
The English bowlers too came with a reputation, but barring Finn, no one really impressed me or looked likely to take a wicket.The two Westley picked up were gifted away. Did he beat them with a change of length?...Must have if he got them out...but it didn't look so. The shots were airy-fairy.
Finn is lanky, tall, and has a good incoming delivery. Perhaps Stuart Broad had more pace at the same age, but there's no reason why Finn shouldn't add pace as he grows along. he's more open-chested than side-on and bowled well.
Today, India did well. They did well in sticking to basics while bowling. If the ball wasn't doing it for them, they kept it straight and up. They need a few variations and deceptions. The spinners didn't have to fear the batsman for they were loathe to step out, so one cannot really say how the bowling will stand up if attacked. However, Jadeja looks canny and Iqbal Abdulla has all that Mumbai experience.
The fielding...ground fielding...was sorry. Dave Whatmore was watching and taking notes...I'm told he emphasizes fielding drills.
There are definite areas where India can look to tighten up...let's begin with having someone else open instead of Goswami. The lad looks tired if he has kept the previous innings. 95 runs at 23 average aren't good at the top of the order.
Saturday, 23 February 2008
Bangladesh fail to do the needful
Warid Test Series; Bangladesh vs South Africa 2008, First Test, Mirpur, Day Three
The need for an ideal situation for Bangladesh was to bat at least two session today, if not more, and add valuable runs.
The quick wicketfall of the morning put paid to that. Kallis has picked up 4 wickets.
They are now inching towards 200 but only one wicket in hand.
This match now looks entirely South African. The pitch is still playing low and all will depend upon the Bangla spinners. If Shadat and Mashrafe can make early inroads, this could still be interesting.
Bangladesh all out for 182 . No real partnerships down the order. Kallis ends up with five and Steyn with 4. SA have to score just over 200 to win.
UPDATE
There are no longer any demons in the pitch. Smith is according respect to the Bangladesh bowlers and hence he is still at the wicket. The total is 23-0 and that means the deficit is wiped off...182 to win and all wickets in hand.
Bangla need early wickets or they are out of it in a session. Doesn't look like they'll get the breakthroughs at the moment.
In my earlier post, I diod mention the Saffers will come wide awake in the second innings and without any delusions, so it will be more difficult.
Bangladesh should look to put up a good fight and continue it through the tour. For that to happen, the batting must do better than this....they must learn to build partnerships and train themselves in having some more patience...even if nothing's happening in that particular period of play.
CB Series : Match Ten : India vs Australia
CB Series 2008 : Match Ten : India vs Australia
Australia win the toss and choose to bat.
Not a cloud in the sky.
I'll juggle beteen the U19 and this one. Maybe catch BD test match in between.
Sehwag and Sreesanth come in for Praveen Kumar and Munaf.
The pitch looks like it might slow down later and batting first is important.
MS Dhoni isn't playing for a franchise...he is playing for the country. What can we expect in this must win game from him and India?
Scorecard
I agree with Sehwag's inclusion. It was here that Australia thrashed Lanka by nearly 100 runs. We saw then that the pitch was more difficult batting second. India haven't good starts in this series and an extra bat is required.
All batsmen have to fire this match for India. If Australia get going....India could be in huge huge trouble.
Ideally, I'd like India to restrict Australia down under 225. There isn't any hint of rain or clouds and that is one good thing for India....no D/L systems coming in.
Sreesanth begins rustily....seven off his first three deliveries, but he focusses and ends with three good balls.
Ishant, at the other end, begins wildly. Gilly whams him for a four...that short ball cut out of shape. Ishant ends the over eeventually...but an untidy one.
13-0 Australia.
Sree goes for two fours, but comes back with a ball that cuts back and takes Gilly's inside edge so a dhoni dives to take it....wicket number one! Gilly gone after two blazing fours....don't mind that one bit if that's the cost to be paid.
I like Sree's attitude thus far. The same I saw in Pathan when he came back and in VRV Singh in the Duleep final....take the lesson from the bad ball, put it away, and run in to bowl a beter next one.
4 and a six off the first two deliveries... Hayden has a purpose for Ishant...how will the young turk respond?
Two nice balls...Hayden is predetermined...walking down worked twice and he's missed twice. The last three balls being good ones. He could find an edge here too. Finished the over well Ishant afre the first two.
So Hayden's intent is clear...he'sll attack the first two deliveries of a new over as the bowler is settling in...or...he'll attack the end of the over if the bowler has become complacent.
Learn well India and fast.
Ponting gets into the act now! A cut off a widish one and a lovely cover drive netts him two fours off Sree. That cover drive was confident and more like the Ricky we all knew....
India must cut out those bad balls...no use bowling four good balls and two four balls.
Oh man...Ricky edged the first off Ishant...coming a bit too far forward attackingly...edges it but Rohit Sharma didn't take it to his left at point.
Better over from Ishant but Sree is going...Hayden has come predetermined today. 8 off the first two Sree balls....India needs his wicket now...enough humoring Matt the batt. Maybe pepper him with a few short balls and cut the advance....and another four as Sree appeals for LBW...leg-byes.
The poor cricket by Indians is outshining the better one they are playing. The policy is the same...attack the first two balls...works out fine and take it easy, otherwise, attack towards the end when the bowler is beginning to ease off.
See that! That's a cow slog and an inside edge from Matt goes for four...lucky as hell..missed the wickets. He's just a Slogaydos today. When will he cut himself up?
India can't wait for that...they've got to do it. But at the moment Ricky is not letting up...fine on-drive for four. 350 is my prediction.
11 4's and a 6 by the 8th over already.
Add another six! Pathan pitches it short and Ricky finds a slot for it in the stands over by the mid-wicket. Just had to swivel on one foot and pull it over there!
Not yet 9 overs and already 80 runs! A dot ball is cheered!
The boundaries are hurting...and India have part-timers to come in after this. India are playing four bowlers today.
One thing's certain, unless a miraculous turn-around happens, this could be a record total to chase in the last two years here. Am I ready to throw the towel in? Not yet...I'll enjoy the cricket. There is no doubt though that the Indian's are rattled. IPL should have spent good money buying these two! Now they have a point to prove to Symonds in their dressing room!
This is MURDER! Australia are 92 off ten!
If India ends up holding Australia under 300, I'll say Shabash!
Now that catch, Sehwag and a billion other Indian might have wanted taken. Sehwag dropped it running in. Ricky went for an all-mighty off Irfan and managed to only thick edge it to the man deep at point.
Australia have clearly come with a plan to attack regardless of result. India haven't adapted well enough.
It has been entertaining stuff thus far...very T20ish...and a clear bid for greater rewards in the CB series.
Seven good overs since the 10th and India have just stemmed the RR. But where are the wickets? India needs them for with wickets in hand acceleratiuon is always possible.
114-1 off 17.
What do I make of the Indian effort thus far?...taken by surprise, slow to adapt.
Ricky's been dropped twice so that has to be factored into the efforts.
34 runs off the last ten and Australia are 130-1 off 20.
India needed to pull back some but this match already looks out of hand. Will the pitch play as well? Who among the Indians will take on the Australians? Can you smash around Lee and co.? Have to watch.
RUN OUT! Slogaydos is RUN OUT! Sehwag was bowling the 21st and Ricky pushed it just a little distance away into the covers and started yelling Wait Wait even as Slogaydos kept lumbering on. The momentum of the big Mann is such that it takes time to brake and turn around. The bails were off at the runners end easily. India neeeded this badly. Clarke was nearly run out the next ball in similar fashion.
All said and done, this Slogaydos avatar of Haydos gave us some thrilling shots to watch.
133-2 now in the 22nd.
206-3 off 34. Not good from an Indian perpective but far better than the clip at which Australia was going at.
The early assault is still mattering and India will have to find a way to do the same, or better, and succeed.
For the first time in this match the Australian RR has dipped under 6. One could perhaps take some solace in it for it could have ben 8.
The part-timers have bowled well along with Bhajji, and hope Yuvraj is clear in mind also to bat well.
Australia is targetting Sreesanth who hasn't yet found a way around it like Ishant has done. He's back and promptly dispatched over the boundary.....I thought India had overconme the Ugharkar conundrum. 221-3 off 38 now.
Brilliant century for Ponting...both Rohit Sharma and Sehwag must wish they had made extra efforts in their respective chances now. Symonds is on a high and Australia is back on track for a 300+ score.
Common sense tells me this match is over for India. The heart says, why not try?
What we saw today was an Australian counter-attack....they had been on the back foot against the Indian bowling and took them by surprise with the early assault which came off. What is significant is the men targetted did not rebound. is it a coincidence that these men have been thought highly of in the IPL auctions?
Australia have come with a free mind, preparing for the finals, as they have already qualified. They are showing us their intended gameplan for the finals. Somebody must consistently find a way to get up Slogaydos' nose whenever he steps out, or ping his box consistently. Who will do it?
This step out and slog is the mantra for Oz....some tact and brawn is called for to counter these tactics. But will India be in the finals to do that?
Australia want Lanka in the finals and they are doing their bit to upset the NRR equation for India. India on the other hand need not think about that...they must look to win this match....just do it!
Meanwhile, Ricky and Symonds are out, Australia past the 300 mark and 8 balls left.
The final target is 318. India will have to play out of their skins to overcome this.
Ricky Ponting released himself from the hold Indian bowlers had on him with some nice hits.
Initially, it came from blind counter-atack, a plan clearly formulated over the days. They didn't worry about wickets falling or failing to succeed. Thick edges along with blazing shots leapt to the boundary.
Symonds tried to provoke again....but Ishant showed him the way back. ICC keeps doing nothing about this mean-spirited fellow. Just like it does nothing about Ricky who abused Harbhajan in the last match. This is how Sydney came about....continuosly ignoring these malcontents from the T20 WC days. Clamp down on these fellows I say! But Ishant showed maturity there...
Symonds smashed a few here and there...Slogaydos had an air of predetermination right throughout his innings...succeeded with his blows and fell as he was settling in with more confidence.
India were slow to respond to this straightforward plan....they bowled short and wide or when the bats advanced, they failed to follow their bodies or hold back the length. Giving away a single is better than a boundary...the blood was boiling in the Indian minds rather than commonsense directing action. Now these boys better show that they are learning and adapting fast. Sree has been playing for 2-3 years now and Pathan, by this time, should know there are pitches and matches to bowl it short and there are situations you don't. He's far too intelligent and a bowler with variety to allow himself to be treated thus.
If India qualify for the finals....they must be more alert to the situation and respond instantly.
India Bats
To tell you the truth, I visualized this dismissal as I was waiting for the game to re-commence. Either this or the inside edge. Tendulkar rapped-out by Brett Lee...LBW for 2. India 3-1 after the first over. I'm not geting into a debate just now but I'm sure Sachin will be cropping up in discussions on the web.
Gambhir joins Sehwag. Expect some fire with fire or none at all.
So far, I saw Gambhir pull Lee in front of square, a fine run-out chnce against Sehhwag...two actually...the previous obe against Gambhir as soon as he came in, some edges and some rasping shots, and Gilly diving at the ropes to stop the boundary after a chase from the wickets.
44-1 in 8 overs...it has so far been a case of throwing punches at each other...someone will be groggy soon. The slugfest is on at the moment.
And that grog gogginess is Sehwag's...playing an untimely run-down-to-third-man-for-single off a corridor ball from Probot Stu into Gilly's big gloves.
45-2.
All those of us who have been talking about structuring intelligent and testing examinations of the young Indian players couldn't have designed a better one than this. Mumbai Mamba (Also, Hyderbad Cobra now) is to be tested. He fails it...nipped in the delicate bud for a single by Bracken of the hair-banded mop. Edged to Gilly again
46-3.
Yuvraj steps out in his 201st game...has he learnt enough or does he want some more university? The point is, is he big enough to pull this for India? Teams do have players who can swing it for them...blokes who have played 200 can be expected to play a big innings when needed...can he?
Maybe India thinks it will take the back door and take on the Lankan route to the finals....but are they sure Lanka will oblige? I don't think so...lanka is looking to qualify on it own.
No, Yuvraj has to yet sit in the university...not this time he says. He'll oblige us some other day...right now he leaves us with 51 runs and four wickets in the Oz bag. Gilly again and the Banded Bracken.
Mr.Dhoni at the wicket. OK...this match is over for India now. Let's catch up with postponed Sunday work...the match in the U19 is almost won by India and BD are out of it...Stanford's been won by Jamaica...time to move on to other things now.
ICC U 19 CWC: India vs England, Quarter Final
ICC Under 19 CWC: India U19 vs England U19, Quarter Finals
Scorecard
I'm coming off an exciting Stanford semis shaping up. India won the toss and opted to field first.
Sangwan has just begun with a maiden. Taylor on strike. Godleman with him.
Not much movement and no discomfort. Watchful start all around.
I'll keep coming back in batches of five-ten overs....the CB series is also on today and BD could make a meal out of the Saffers in their test match.
At the end of 10 attritional overs, England were 28 without losing a wicket.
Argal and Sangwan were spot on and the youngs English pair were fining it difficult to negotiate the swing and bounce. Argal had two good shouts and I thought Godleman was gone back then. Anyway...
There isn't as much prodigious swing for Sangwan as in the previous match against SA.
In the 12th over, Argal finally had his man...a wicket maiden in which he picked up Godleman for 6.
31-1 England at the end of 12.
It has been a cautious start for England...41-1 after fifteen. The bowling has been accurate and restrictive but not threatening too much.
The odd shout has been there, and Engalnd who have dominated all their opposition till now, are playing this match differently.
Siddharth Kaul too has begun his spell well. Taylor is looking set on 20 and playing confidently now. Wakeley, the captain is setling in.
Indian ground fielding needs to pick up a bit.
Sangwan is the man who takes the wickets and today he has lookeked more restrictive than destructive. India need wickets for the way England are shaping up, it looks like 250 is on from here.
56-1 off 19...Ravindra Jadeja comes in now with his SLO. It has kind of slowed down for England. Accurate bowling but not penetrative yet. How will the young England play spin?
In a way, this is good bowling by Indians....they are accurate and not giving away anything, but I feel they are not atacking enough. They are content with keeping the batsmen quiet and wait for errors.....somehow they aren't making anything happen. The English bats aren't taking any chances either...so this is boiling down to a state where England will have to play a 20-20 like game soon.
64-1 off 22.
Iqbal had a good shout earlier, but this time Wakely is given out. Not much difference between this ball and the previous one.
73-2 and this is a nowhere kind of innings fromm the English skip. After playing all those balls, you had to make it count for something more. 27 overs gone.
Even if they score 150-160 from here, it looks like a total within reach for India at the moment.
That had to happen....Taylor who had played 86 deliveries for his 41 and recently going nowhere, decided to take a chance against Abdulla...clean bowled by the Mumbai spinner!
The new boy, Brown shows how it is to be played...stright six over Iqbal Abdulla to begin with.
Consuming balls and not scoring many has created pressure on the batsmen. A smart India can hope to cash in on that.
Missing run-outs (happened yet again) isn't going to help...it is the fruit of labour...got to eat it.
Dawson and Brown look far more assured against the spinners than the earliere bats, but the runs aren't coming. There are those slogs in between....and Kaul gets a wicket!
A bouncer which hit the back of the helmet and rolled onto the stumps! Dawson goes and England are 106-4 in the 33rd! He took his eyes away and turned his head...
Coming back to the yound Englishmen...they are strong on fundamentals one can see.A bit short on adventure and perhaps experience of attacking spinners. Curiously, they didn't even attack the seamers early on......this is more the traditional approach to the one-day game we used to see two decades or more, ago.
Gone!!!! Bowled as he goes for a frrustrated hoick. Ben brown wasn't happy tied down...not his game it appears to be there and do nothing as the overs were ticking by....but certainly that isn't the way to accelerate. Connection with the ball was purely a matter of chance with the face looking at the sky through shut eyes.
Jadseja gets him and 110-5 in the 34th.
96 balls to go after this but only five wickjets in hand. England didn't save the wickets even after playing all those balls.
That's an edge.....and taken well by the keeper who had to dive to his left. Wood's gone for 2 and Siddarth kaul picks up his second.
England reeling now at 110-6. 16 overs to go...they could be bowled out much earlier!!
I'm heading off now to ther CB series where India are pulling back from a spanking just now. Be back in a while.
Great piece of keeping from Goswami behind the stumps....the ball spun across Redfern's ( a leftie) face and he collected it wide and yet whipped off the bails. Jadeja decieved Redfern in the air and off the wicket...7 down for 113.
England just hasn't made any efforts to score. The Indian bowling was tight, agreed, but this England batting clearly did not have the fire to score in a limited overs match. They didn't challenge the bowlers and allowed them to bowl at them. They may be good to play out five days of U19 test matches, but unless the bowlers do something for their sake, England's chances now look bleak.
I missed out Westley's wicket but I'm told he was caught by the Indian skipper, Virat Kohli. The run rate has stalled now.
Talking about Virat Kohli...the IPL is picking him, Sangwan and Tanmay Srivastava to begin with. It does look like the two Delhi boys will be taken away from Delhi! Delhi has alredy lost Ishant Sharma due to Delhi being owned by a franchisee who found it not its worth to bid for him. The same may happen with these two Delhi lads who lead my team to a Ranji victory after more than a decade!
Good friend, and fellow blogger, Q, of Well Pitched who has tracked the Pakistan youngsters closely, feels an Asian semi-final is unavoidable. He has just put that in the comments and this blogpost of his. There's a bit of cricket left to be played in this match mate!
But he has a point for four out of eight QFists are Asian countries. Unlikely that they'll all lose. Pakistan vs Australia will be a match to watch if I can get the telecast, but Q has promised a detailed coverage. He does it well too.
And through that all, England finally bowled out for 146 off 46 overs.
Taylor top-scored with 41 off 86 at the top. I thought he was instrumental in slowing it down, for both batsmen at the top were looking to play the sheet anchor role instead of one.
The wickets were shared among all bowlers with Iqbal Abdulla picking up 3 for 29 off 9 fine overs. But I'm worried....the attack is varied all right but if Sangwan doesn't fire, they cease to look penetrative. They are restictive and that's their plan B if Sangwan doesn't start swinging the ball early. They could be tested if ahead if they manage to win this match. They need to take wickets at the top.
India Bats
India begin well and are not changing their game due to a low target. They are playing with a view to games ahead as much as this immediate match. Keeping it at 6 rpo are Taruwar Kohli of Punjab and Shreevats Goswami of bengal. He is also the keeper.
That the English boys are lacking in just that little bit of focus towards the game can be seen from that....what should have been Goswami run out, for he was a couple of inches short of the crease, but no one appealed! Can you believe that! So Goswami plays on...This doesn't have to do with limited overs or longer version of the game. It's basic these days for line calls...ask first rather than worry you didn't.
19-0 off 4 overs.
Taruwar Kohli is looking good. Straight bat, good selection, sure feet movement, firm strokes and good running.
England have opened with Finn and Harris. I like what Finn is offerring here. Tall lanky bowler with an incoming delivery...comfortable action and slightly chest on. Nice set of teeth too, a smile and a chatter.
India just taking it easy now 26 off 7 overs. The last three overs have been spent in getting their eye in.
Meanwhile SA rack up a big total against Bangladesh and BD are 2-2, Namibia are looking good against the Malaysians at 45 -0 after bundling out Malaysia for 143, and Zimbabwe may have another nasty surprise waiting for them 7-2 chasing Nepal's 158.
Things have slowed down...England bowlers testing the batsmen....Finn particularly. 35-0 off 11, India.
50 up for India! With a nice pull to the boundary by Taruwar Kohli. He plays this shot well...he used it in every match and played it often against the Saffers too....nice swivel too.
53-0 at 16. Cruising along and India spaced out the chase well.
The difference between the English approach and the Indian approich is evident. The English bowling is also not looking penetrative, but they aren't containing either. agreed the Indians have the comfort of a target, but England had first use of a good batting wicket and didn't have the burden of a chase. While the England bats were coirrect in their technique and application, they lacked that pinch of enterprise...that little sense of adventure needed to make a difference in limited overs.
Goswami holes out!
he's been getting impatient a bit for now and he tried to loft that Dawson ball to the long-on boundary. didn't get under the ball enough and thus not enough elevation....straight into the hands of the fielder there.
65-1 in the 21st and Tanmay Srivastava, one of the two best Indian batsmen so far in this tournament, comes in. Tanmay has also had a decent start to his first-class career...not yet prolific there but has done enough to be earmarked for the future.
Fine four that...using his feet to dance down to the pitch of the ball and driven through mid-on. Tanmay wants to move on, and he's just come in.
85-1 off 26 overs. 62 to get in 24 and the entire batting sans one is available. At no point of time did the England bowling look threatening to rip and run. Neither did India's, but they kept chipping away which England are not.
I hadn't seen the English U19 bowling before, and I asked good friend Q of Well Pitched if he had. He told me he did indeed have a look at them before and were good. So I expected some fire and brimstone....some energy in defending their small total...some defence of it, win or lose...I'm awaiting Q's response now...:)
Tanmay, meanwhile , is showing why he is one of the hot picks for IPL's under-22 compulsory quota of four players per team. Just looking at him, you know this boy has the game. Will he be able to translate it to the senior level? I thought the same about Kaif when I first saw him in the Lombard cup and later in the U19 WC. he didn't quite satisfy my expectations of him. I continue to believe he'll be back in business.
Now that's called jinxing! Just as I said all those nice things about Tanmay...he plays a cute one which betrays arrogance more than anything else. Cutting off the backfoot for one bowled straight, and perhaps quicker...he was a bit lazy in that shot and the keeper took the nick standing close. Nice effort that from the keeper.
100 for India in the 30th. 102-2 and skipper Virat Kohli joins Taruwar Kohli.
And Virat uses his feet and launches the spinner Westley for four. Next ball, he holes out playing the same shot. Now this is interesting. 3 down now and India playing a careless brand they haven't so far in this tournament.
106-3...Virat Kohli out for 4.
Saurabh Tiwary of Bihar joins Taruwar to gather the remaining 38 runs to win. India have created a minor nuisance for themselves with those two needless wickets.
It's down to single digits for India now...within a shot. India has won their quarter final match-up and enter the semis to await the winners of the other match-ups.
What I'm concerned however is about the carelessness, unseen before, in the Indian batting.
Are they becoming overconfident just before the final steps to success?
The Stump is Broken !
Second semi-final: Jamaica vs Guyana, Stanford 20/20, 2008
Jamaica win by One Run !
THE STUMP IS BROKEN!!!!! CHANDERS CLEAN BOWLED BY a POWELL EXPRESS!!!! THE CHANGE OF ENDS WORKED! FIRST BALL FROM NEW END BY POWELL AND CHANDERS YORKED....THE STUMP IS BROKEN! ARE WE SEEING AN UPSET HERE? ARE THE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS ON THE ROPES?
And Lexnnox Cush goes too!...gloving off a Powell express to the keeper. he's not happy and lingeres but has to go.
Guyana, the champions, are 25-4 in the sixth and Powell is on fire!
UPDATE
The stump is well and truly broken. The defending champs have been knocked out by one run! Jamaica and T&T play the finals.
But what a match it was....entirely worth every minute's effort this early in the morning.
Cush Hat Trick Nails Jamaica
Second semi-final: Jamaica vs Guyana, Stanford 20/20, 2008
Lennox Cush took Hyatt, Hinds and Marshall in three balls (the 4th, 5th and 6th of his last over) in the 19th over of the innings to nail down the Jamaicans.
Jamaica were looking to add another 20-50 runs at that time to post an imposing total for the chase. It's not bad now but Cush's hat-trick battened down any such Jamaican hopes.
Well bowled Cush.
Analysis :- 4 - 0 - 8 - 3 Eco. 2.00
Guyana vs Jamaica: Stanford 20/20 Semi-final
Stanford 20/20 : Guyana vs Jamaica, Second Semi-final. Live Match Report
Scorecard
The teams:
Guyana - Chattergoon, TM Dowlin, S Chanderpaul, RR Sarwan, LJ Cush, CD Barnwell, DO Christian, RT Crandon, EA Crandon, MV Nagamootoo, NC McGarrell, DO Ferrier, LR Johnson, N Deonarine
Jamaica - CH Gayle, SE Findlay, MN Samuels, DP Hyatt, XM Marshall, WW Hinds, CS Baugh, DE Bernard, JE Taylor, NO Miller, DBL Powell, BA Parchment, OV Brown
Some feel this is the finals! Look at those teams! Gayle at the top surely puts Jamaica two noses ahead, but there are Sars and Chanders on the other side. Marlon sits in the Jamaican dugout while Chattergoon gets Guyana off to a good start....Powell, Parchment,Taylor, Nagamootoo....this is the match of the tournament. I'm backing T&T as the dark horse of this tournament, but Mikey's pick is Jamaica...so we watch today. Who will rise?
Yesterday was not good for those ailing with heart problems and the like....today is likely to be worse...so keep those medications handy...liduidy the better...and let the game begin. Bring them on!
Guyana win the toss and elect to field.
Awright....so dey wanna chase a total dey know. Dem Guyanaese tink 'dey ave their opening motors purring nicely, but what if a Gayle storm heads their way? Aaah...which side are you on?
Brandon starts off with a wide..Guyana need to watch those.
Out! Findlay takes a mighty heave at a clever Crandon delivery slightly moving out and splays off the face of the bat to go high and straight into deep square-leg's safe hands. Jamaica 1-1 off the first legal delivery.
Chris Gayle is on now along with Samuels...is he going to carve up the Guyanese? Are they both going to tear up the Guyanese attack?
Nice safe tuck down the leg side for 2 and Samuels is off and limbered-up.
Cush is bowling at the other end.
4-1, Jamaica.
Gayle misses out on a ball with width...tried to hit it over the mid-on.
Gayle misses that one spinning just a little bit away and almost shaved his off stump! 6-1 off two overs. Good over by Cush.
That one clipped the pad down the leg side and everybody went up in appeal. The next one is declared a wide. Crandon keeping a leg-side line for Gayle...trying to block his off-sde play...but this can blow up big time with extras and if Gayle chooses to pull one of them. So far, it is working and Gayle getting his eye in.
Samuels has no such problems...he's looking warmed up...bowler's backdrive...44444444! Follows it up with a quick run...should have been a run-out if the fielder had collected it cleanly.
16-1 in the fourth with 2 balls to go.
Crandon succeeds in his leg-side ploy! Gayle shapes to pull that one out of the park and is out given LBW after he missed that one. But did that pitch outside the line of leg-stump? Gayle out and Jamaica in a bit of a bother at 17-2.
Hawkeye shows that pitched clearly outside leg...take your pick maan!
20-2 off the first five. Where is Jamaica headed? Hyatt is with Marlon. I'll take it in sets of five overs from here...I mean the reporting! The batsmen would do well to do likewise though.
First SIXXXX!!! In the ninth over by Samuels, straight over the bowler's head and followed a ball after with a four that looked six. Samuels moving along now after they were hemmed in by Cush, McGarrell and E.Crandon. Roy Crandon gave those runs away in his first over.
MCGarrell bowls Samuels! Played on a straighter one taking the inside edge off an intended cut. 43-3...Jamaica in deep trouble and the Guyanese spinners have the measure at the moment. They are bowling a beautiful line.
Excellent over from McGarrell, why don't these guys play for West Indies?
Fifty up for Jamaica and 11 overs gone. 50-3.
Where are we now with 9 to go?
EA Crandon is bowled out, Cush has one left. Garrell has two and R Crandon has two. Nagamootoo will bowl as well.
Xavier Marshall can pump it up, Hyatt's there...Wavell Hinds and Carlton Baugh can tonk it around. So we may yet have a score.....SiXXXX!!!
Hyatt gets going! 44444444! Garrell is being taken on here. Droppped! Straight into the deep mid-wicket's hands and he drops it. For a while that looked like going flat and over.
64-3 off 12.
Roy Crandon dropped him off the last ball and Hyatt hits first ball for SIX! Things looking better for Jamiaca now. The shackles have been broken! We could go well over 150....Nagamootoo has to be tackled though.
Hyatt is on a high! Another SIXXX and a big one over mid-wicket. 28 off last 8 balls!
Jamaica is 80-3 off 13. That last on-drive felled Xavier Marshall, was a fierce shot from Hyatt that had four written all over it. This is all hot stuff now.
Nagamootoo begins the fourteenth over...so he will bowl till the end. Experienced bowler...can Jamaica take charge of him? They need to.
4444444! Marshall getting into the act now.
Wily old vet Nagamootoo restricts that over to just that four and a couple. 88-3 off 14.
Six overs to go...Jamaica need to move on. They have the belters in Hinds and Baugh to follow. Guyana have done well here.
Wide...Barnwell comes on with medium pace...reminds me of Saurav Ganguly...his run-up. That one is a hiuge SIX!!!!! Marshall steps out, Barnwell shortens the length, Xavier goes through with the shot, and hammers it wide and high into the rear stands!
Marshall advances again and this time young Barnwell almost gets a stumping down the leg side...wide.
Caught!....Noooooo ...dropped at mid-wicket. The fielder might have got there in time but dived for it and spilled...another gone down next ball! Identical spill but a mirror image on the off side....the ball gone off the outside edge of a flailing bat! I feel sorry for this youngster.
102-3 off 15.
Jamaica have gone into the boundary mode...they are trying to hit every ball out and are missing. Missing out on singles and twos too this way. Need to cool down Jamaica. Good fielding at the boundary keeps that one to a single and just 7 runs off that Nagamootoo over...109-3 off 16.
Xavier Marshall marilliered McGarrlell first down to fine leg and fine fielding there kept it to two. The next one was reverse swept for four! Innovating here to get out of the stranglehold of spin. McGarrell looking to slow things down here.
17 gone and 120-3 Jamaica and a wonderful 50 for Hyatt! Well played maan!
The three dropped catches could cost Guyana but these kind of things happen in 20/20. Guyana have the batting to chase, yet...catches should be taken.
Swept for six!!! Hyatt playing a blinder here. Nagamootoo's leg spin deposited over the boundary. These batsmen are now using their feet to the spinners and is working.
132-3 off 18.
Right 2 overs to go and 20 runs gets them to 150...not the best challenge against Guyana but fair enough.
Cush knocks back Hyatt! Loopy yorker, Hyatt played all over it, and clean bowled. C'mon Jamaica...8 balls to go and need more runs.
Out!!! On a Hat-trick Cush! Wavell Hinds hits straight over and into the hands of the straight fielder at the boundary. Don't blame him...he had to heave-ho from the word go. Got the toe end of the bat.
HAT TRICK for CUSH! CUSH GETS A HAT-TRICK!!!!
Same fielder, shot was higher and was taken safely right on the boundary...Marshall out and Cush gets a hat-trick. Wow!
Jamaica losing out in the last two overs...134-6 and the last over to go.
Last over...tight one and an inside edge for four of the fifth ball...nothing much off the last one...just a run-out.
143-7....one would have thought Jamaica could have done better, but marvellous slow bowling from Guyana strangled the Jamaicans. Those dropped catches probably accounted for 40-50 runs! Hyatt and Marshall played their hand, but one feels this is within Guyana's scope.
Are we looking at a T&T - Guyana final? Or, do Jamaica have some ideas for the innings coming up?
Cush's hat-trick nailed the lid in towards the end.
Guyana Bat
Guyana needs 144 to win and that is more than the highest total chased in this year's tournament so far. That would suggest Jamaica have done enough....but have they?
Let's wait and watch as Chattergoon and Dowling walk out and Powell is at the top of his run-up.
First ball whipped off the legs for four! Not a great effort from Jerome Taylor on the ropes...could have stopped that...did in fact with his foot... but it rolled on.
The line is most leggish and not dangerous yet. Powell can be aiming for your forehead! The field is standard.
6-0, Guyana off the first over.
Jerome Taylor nets Dowling...hitting across the line and edged high to mid-on.
Excellent start by Jerome Taylor...one off it and a wicket to boot. No extras either.
Guyana tend to begin slow...you got to push their wagon down the slope to get the engines started....but they then carry a momentum.
7-1 after two overs Guyana, and Chanders is at the wicket.
Can dey get the highest chase so far in this tournament for this year's edition?
Chanders clips that off the legs for four at the square boundary...Powell straying down there and a poor effort from the fielder again! They're playing footie and letting the ball roll away and over!
13-1 after 3 Guyana batting.
So far it has been a good start by Powell and Taylor, even though Powell has tended to the leg-stump line.
Now that has to be the turning point of the match! Hyatt undecided from five paces from the bowler's wicket whether to throw or run in to the wicket himself...Chatter goon stranded middle of the pitch and given up....four fielders backing up and yet missed out! Nerves? Chattergoon escapes literally...he could make Jamaica pay for this.
Chanders plays a lovely shot over Taylor's head for four. Sweetly times that!
21-1 off 4, Guyana. The chase is on!
Samuels has Chattergoon off his first ball....beaten in the flight driving to the off and edgeing loopily into the slips.
Marlon strikes first ball and Catters gone! That missed run-out didn't help Chatters....Guyana 21-2 in the fifth and another 123 needed.
Wicket-maiden first over by Marlon Samuels and Guyana are still on 21-2 off five overs. Excellent bowling, but Chatters gave that away without taking a ball or two to adjust for the slower speed of Marlon.
THE STUMP IS BROKEN!!!!! CHANDERS CLEAN BOWLED BY POWELL! THE CHANGE OF ENDS WORKED! FIRST BALL FROM NEW END BY POWELL AND CHANDERS YORKED....THE STUMP IS BROKEN! ARE WE SEEING AN UPSET HERE?
And Lexnnox Cush goes too!...gloving off a Powell express to the keeper. he's not happy and lingeres but has to go.
Guyana, the champions, are 25-4 and Powell is on fire!
Guyana is stalling a bit here. They have to rebuild the innings...it has just been blown away by a fiery Powell at over 90 mph.
Barnwell and Sars are at the crease....runs are needed too as they see off Powell in this mood. he's making 'em hop onto the back feet!
Can the defending champions rise from here?
What a ball! Jags up into Barnwell and gets his thumb. Powell is in a mean mean mood today...don' mess with 'im tonight!
32-4 at the end of the eighth over Guyana. 112 needed off 72 balls.
There's a young lady willing to give away her diamonds if Guyana win it from here...obviously a Guyanese supporter...are the defending champs listening to her?
Guyana's state of innings is just like that last ball....the ball went in one direction while the bat flew in the opposite and Barnwell ran for a single in the third direction....Jamaica are all over the Guyanese at the moment as the champs are re-building.
Barnwell might have gone if Xavier Marshall could have taken that blinder at deep mid-wicket....the ball just spilt out of his hands as he slid along the ground...he had it cupped for a while. Lucky for Guyana and boy, do they need all the help now!
But this wasn't going to last....Sarwan goes!!!! Plays a bit too early and pushed the ball over the bowler's (Samuels) head for a nice catch in the deep. He didn't reach the ball, pushed away from his body and with one hand....what a tragedy for Guyana!
The defending champs are on their way out!
42-5 in the 11th.
Defiance coming to the fore...flat batted four that from Barnwell....49-5 in 11 overs.
10.56 required per over from here.
Guyana must bank upon E Crandon who tonked a 71 off 39 balls last year, to see them through. I don't see much from here other than him.
Can you believe that! That steepler should have been the sixth but the keeper ran for it instead of leting fine leg take it and reprieved Barnwell's frustration.
Guyana 5 down for 57 after 12 and look out of it but for a miracle.
The Guyanese waggon sputterring along here...butwhat a six! Roy Crandon lifts....no scoops Miller over mid-wicket and onto the tiles on the roof! SIXXXX!!!!
Some spirit that...saw the ball early, got down onto the knee and the pull-sweep looked like a scoop for six...could he get those runs for Guyana?
Barnwell this time....down on one knee and straight SIXXXXX!!!!
And a single...smart work here by the Guyan bats.
71 off 42...not impossible.....are the defending champs going to show why they are defending champs?
The wheels are coming off the champion's wagon...that's a stroke of frustration and the edge off the leg-side hoick goes to the mid-off for a simple catch...79-6 and Gayle picks up a wicket. Barnwell out.
Crandon creams that... a murderous six! And Guyana are 85-6 off 14 after the Gayle over.
I'm heading over to the U-19 QF's now. Join you as this evolves...Guyana re still in it but difficult now.
Roystan Crandon changed the match and almost brought the defending champs to an even run-a-ball...but he is just out...gloving a ball to gully while going for it.
It was a slower ball from Taylor which bounced a bit and took Crandon by surprise.
116-7 Guyana...Need 27 off 20 balls now...gettable. That man Riy Crandon did it for Guyana...can the rest inch their way through? This is going to the wire...
17 runs needed off 2 now and Jerome Taylor begins. Guyana have two wickets in hand.
What a match this has been!
12 off the last over...maaan! Can you watch this sitting still?
Samuels is the man Jamaica trusts for this last over.
EA Crandon is there...but Christian hammers the first straight as a line for four.....444444444444! Off the first ball! 8 needed off 5 now.
No wide given off the second....a single off the third, but they are asking....asking for the 3rd Umpire....Not out!
7 needed now off 3 balls and EA is playing them.
6 off 2 balls now...
Two taken....now 4 to win off the last ball!
Jamaica win by One run!!! Guyana are out...but what a match.
New Zealand Clinch the ODI Series
Let me admit to two things right off...first I was unaware that the telecast was available to be on a channel tucked away and which rarely shows cricket except for some ICC events. England usually figures on ESPN on my selection, but this time the telecast was on a different channel known more for its soap operas and which I studiously avoid. I remained under the impression that I didn't have the telecast.
Second, there has been so much cricket going on - Stanford, CB series, ICC WC, IPL extravaganza, BD vs SA , and the Duleep Trohy which concluded earlier, and that I have to also work, that this series escaped me. It was only yesterday that I discovered that I had the telecast all along and I regret having missed the match before this one.
England did well to set up the score they did after being on the backfoot for most part of their innings. The late burst from Masca and Wright helped them add vital runs. But after the previous thriller, they must have known 240 wouldn't be enough.
McCallum had a wonderful series. Ryder has been valuable and so has been How. Ross Taylor too...suddenly, NZ doesn't look like a team dissolving away.
Signal Day for Bangladesh
Warid Test Series; Bangladesh vs South Africa 2008, First Test, Mirpur
The pitch looked a shade darker than what I have seen anywhere, and it was gleaming. That suggests a high clay content, and therefore likely to stay low in days to come and spin. But the pitch began to stay low from day one itself.
When Ashraful opted to bat first it was part of a plan to put the Saffers on this pitch against Md.Rafique towards the ending. But to do that, Bangladesh had to get past the initial days of the test match and still remain within reach of the Saffers.
When Tamim Iqbal, nephew of BD's first test captain and explosive young one-day opener (one of the teen brigade who did all those things in the 2007 WC) casually flicked at a Steyn ball swinging in onto his pads and was taken by the bowler off the second ball of the match, it looked all so familiar. Junaid followed soon and one thought ther plan wouldn't work for the match might be over in three days!
The middle order got starts before throwing it away. The pitch was staying too low but banging it in woould surprise the batsmen. The SA bowlers decided to take the pitch out of the equation by bowling a fuller length and making use of some swing available. Morne Morkel kept it right up and got the edges, LBW's and bowled for a useful fifer. Some of his yorkers were good. But it wasn't all unplayable stuff.
Bangladesh had a touch of impetuosity...coming from an off season of sorts, and having more faith in the one-day style which worked decently for them, they carried it into this test match. It is time Ashraful did justice to his immense talent and showed the way it is done to others in test matches. Someone will have to regularly put his head down, control the natural urges and build test centuries often enough to lift Bangladesh and change their test match methods. Ashraful has the game to do it...it is his concentration that worries. Tends to get carried away with his intrinsic abilities. Aftab Ahmed, another talented player, top scored with 44 and Saqib ul Hassan, the aggressive and dimunitive slo who troubled India to no end, put together 30 and had a significant partnership of 70 with Aftab. Mashrafe, again the man who developed a reputation as an all-rounder with his pyrotechnics against India, swung his bat around later.
Not all pleasant to watch...there was an instant when he ducked into a ball which didn't rise as expected, and yet somehow managed to get the bat into the way just as the ball looked to hit his helmet and yet guided it down to third man for runs! Cow-slogs and all, he did add useful runs down the order. But 192 looked dismal on a pitch prepared to be more in favor of the home team.
At this stage, I was on the MB's discussing cricket with good friends Mikey, MP, SD and OR and were wondering what BD could do from here. Most of us like to see the underdog cock a snook at the big 'uns. It was in the last session of play on day one when Shahadat Hossain picked up Graeme Smith!
Smithy was defending away and outside from his pads, the impact of the ball turned the bat in his hands and rocketed into the wickets through the large large gate between bat and pad. UJ feels Smith is keen to be a Haydos without doing such stuff to be one. He has had troubled moments in recent times and this was his latest. The technique is up for grabs and confidence is shredding. But he'll probably bounce back in a strong way.
Neil MacKenzie has the same technique as Alastair Cook to play such balls. Cook paid for it and had to correct it during the series against Indians, McKenzie will have to do likewise...he tends to get his head far over to the right and plays around his front pad to a straightish ball, thus a prime candidate for a plumb decision. He fell this way.
Kallis should have been out soon after to what appeared plumber than MacKenzie, but perhaps Dar baulked at the incongruity of it all...BD picking up quick wickets after a poor batting performance...and Kallis. Nevertheless, Kallis did go in the last session of day one...bowled by an armer from Rafique...a classic SLO dismissal. The ball kept a touch lower than Kallis expected, but he did have time to assess the pitch in the 50-odd runs he was at the wicket. Kallis scored 17. Big big wicket at the end of day one considering that Amla was consumed earlier by Rafique. SA ended at 76-4.
At that stage one felt the batting depth (Morkel can bat too) of SA and experience would fetch them out of this little embarrassing hole. But there was a bit of doubt for BD has plenty of spinners...
Day Two began with a run-out. This is a test match folks! Ashwell Prince, who has the game and temperament to stay and score on such a pitch, and against spinners, needed to stay for there were some doubts about the ability of the rest to play a patient game against spinners on a wicket taking spin and already keeping low. One did wonder at the urgency of it all...to steal a single early on off a gentle push towards a fielder...or was it a case of overestimating the self and underestimating the fielder? These BD fielders are athletic and good....that much you have to grant to them.
AB attacked while Botha defended and they began to get SA out of it. Bangladesh were all over the Saffers after being up 77-5. The stadium was raucous in these uncharted territories, the bowling was good, and Saffers had to fight.
AB's dismissal was strange but must have happenned to us in our own gully cricket! Ashraful was the bowler and he sent the ball down into his own half and it had a second "tippa" before reaching the batsman. AB tried to send it to orbit but managed to lob it to Ashraful off a thick edge. Better just defend it away or play straight back or let it go if outside line, is what my gully-cricket experience of such balls tells me.
With the partnership broken, BD ran through the tail. It wasn't Rafique but Shahadat Hossain who ripped SA apart with six wickets. For the first time, BD have taken a lead against South Africa in a test match. What a signal day for them!
At close of play, BD are 125 for 4 and again one felt they gave it away. Can one of the remaining youngsters string a few partnerships together tomorrow and add another 100-150 runs and play time? Something to bowl at for SA are sure to come back all awake in the second innings.
Day Three
What I hoped BD could do hasn't happened. They have lost three wickets this morning, added few runs and look unlikely to play a bit of time and push it to the 4th and fifth day. This match could be over today or maybe just a bit into tomorrow.
And Kallis has just knocked Rafiq's middle stump over just as I typed the above.
8 down now for 169 Bangladesh. The ball kept low, but Rafiq, over the past few balls, wasn't looking to stay...he was in biog-shot mode.
Bangladesh might have let a good opportunity pass by.
Friday, 22 February 2008
Trinidad and Tobago vs Barbados
First semi-final: T&T vs Barbados, Stanford 20/20, 2008
Scorecard
I came into this first semi-final expecting two things - 1) the matches would be intensely competitive and 2) Trinidad and Tobago's young team had enough spark to upset Barbados's hopes.
It doesn't look like T&T will be able to do that as long as PA Browne is around, and coming to the first point now, you could perhps say the Barbadian bowlers came in all competitive while the T&T batsmen decided en masse to let their bowlers have their say too.
Two players reached double figures - Perkins and Bravo. Tino Best had the T&Tians in the back foot right from the word go. I didn't expect Darren G to do anything much but I certainly believed Lendl Simmons at the top, and Keiron Pollard a little later, had it in them to deposit best, pace and all, into the clocktower on the roof. Didn't quite work out that way and one wonders if Tino Best hasn't done enough already in this tournament to revive his claims for the West Indian side again.
The man who sent back Simmons was Benn..no, actually Simmons sent back himself. He charged down the pitch with about 300 mm of mercury throbbing in his head. Naturally, his vision was cloudy and head was all over the pitch and he must have been under the impression that the ball was rocketing out into space to intercept any lingerng debris from the fallen satellite. We coulda told him even as he was taking those initial leaps that he would either be stumped or bowled. You need to watch the ball and keep a still head when you charge down. And you gotta keep the head down..watching the ball.
That set the rot in and the trend of play. What followed was almost maniacal batting.
Pollard has disappointed me. Before the tourney began, I put him in my list of youngsters one should watch out for....the dictators of the future direction of WI cricket. Unfortunately Pollard came through as a chap with little nous against spin. Not that Murali or Warne were bowling, this time it was Bishop and Pollard found a way to get out. He's been out this way before...trying to pull the ball from somewhere on the off side into eternity and ending up dumb plumb. He was a let down.
But the Barbadian bowlers were on the job irrespective of the contribution of opposition batsmen to their cause.
120 wasn't good enough, but you had to count in the vagaries of human mind. On any given day you'd probably coast to that total even in a test match. 6 per over is par for course in 50/50. In 20/20, it is merely a hope for the defenders.
Batting sides can make the mstake of being too cute in the chase and mess it up...Barbados did that exactly!
Just when you thought you had seen the most crazy attempts at setting a target, you got to watch an even crazier chase. Barbados managed to get knocked out with four wickets to spare and just a RR of a tad under 8 over the last four overs. At the end of the 15th, they were 79 for four, having just lost Ryan Hinds. Just 41 runs off 5 overs needed and PA Browne going strong and five more wickets in hand.
What followed can only be described as panic...deer in the headlights effect. Wickets fell, the batsmen became run-tied and somehow we had the most unexpected of results after the first innings.
Barbados lost by five runs chasing 120. You could say it was a thrilling encounter...you could also point a finger to poor planning and batsmanship.
As for me, I ain't complaining...T&T came through!
Effort Ball
Tracking VRV Singh's progress this domestic season. The lad is improving.
With the rising tide of internationally successful Indian pace bowlers inking over the domestic hopefuls gradually, it is a struggle that requires an effort ball from those still in the penumbra. Consistently good performances can wipe the inching darkness away and the limelight could be theirs....once again or for the first time. Asthenic efforts will sink them into darkness forever.
The sun is shining tantalizingly close; the IPL has revealed easy rewards for those willing to bend their backs; for those willing to bulldoze through a bad spell into that dream spell. For those bullheaded ones who are willing to learn, and accommodate that, from the previos ball to the next unflaggingly, prizes abound all around.
Recognition and respect is what a sportsman craves for. It is why he plays the game from this sun to the next, and the one beyond. It looks easy...the lines and lengths in the mind are all charted out in a trice....but the body has to be willing, the realtive co-ordination of innumerable muscles has to be perfect, the heart has to keep pumping life into those muscles for that dream ball to keep rolling out run-up after run-up.
How does the shadow crew do it? Where do they begin?
VRV Singh must have wondered the same....his assets rapidly assessed and discarded. Injury allowed him to pause and gather himself.
There was Ishant Sharma demonstrating what required to be done by the shadow-folk. VRV sprung back into the field of play with a focus born of self-realization unlike that imposed by repeated coaching; VRV picked up the cherry again suddenly aware how to draw the lines and lengths in his mind across the 22-yards. In that claustrophobic spot of the penumbra deperation filpped open the secret trapdoor of experience...knowledge came tumbling out to animate his limbs.
The co-ordination wasn't perfect instantly, it still isn't, but through this season, he has utilized lessons from experience to go back to the top of his run-up once again and come back as fiercely as he did the ball before...only this time the joints would fall into their grooves.
He picked wickets...not in ones, twos and threes, but in significant batches of winning masses. For Punjab through the North Zone, this man on the brink has begun to understand his assets and how to use them better.
His latest performance in the Duleep trophy finals where he picked up ten and won the match for his team, wasn't all perfect...Jaffer spanked him when he erred...but he went back to steam in again determined to find that perfect ball. He didn't dissipate like he used to....he doesn't want to be in the shadows anymore. The adoloscent fun and games are over and VRV is shaping up to be a man at work.
His speeds varied from the 130's to early 140's. He swung the ball both ways, and late. He recognized the conditions and used them well. He found the yorkers from the top of his long height whenever he wanted them....ask Chatteshwar Pujara....he isn't a finished product yet, but he's doing what needs to be done to get noticed.
Agreed, that the standard of batsmanship set by the opposition were not always of the highest quality...he can only bowl at what he is asked to....and he did. If he hadn't picked wickets against them, he'd have been condemned for ever.
VRV, for me, is the most improved domestic bowler this season even though he has one more season to go before he can perfect his bag of tricks. Watch out for him in the coming days.
He hasn't taken the most wickets of all, Vinay Kumar and Amit Misra (yet again for this permanently condemned denizen of the shadows) have done impressively too, but he's right up there with the strike rate. He's got the early breakthroughs and has run through innings.
He's bowling effort balls, spell after spell, and those are the beginnings to stepping out of the eclipse.
VRV Singh this season:
M - Inns - Ovr - M - Rns - Wkts - BBI - BBM - Average - Eco - SRate - 5w - 10w
06 - 10 - 174.4 - 19 - 781 - 33 - 7/112 - 10/177 -23.66 - 4.47 - 31.7 - 05 - 01
Thursday, 21 February 2008
How will the IPL affect Caribbean cricket?
The IPL 20/20 cricket competition gets under way on April 18, and this domestic competition has generated a lot of international interest.
Mikesiva takes an incisive look into a worry
The amount of money that has been bandied about has been mind-boggling! Players from all over the world are taking part in this event, lured by the almost obscene sums of money on offer. Australian allrounder Andy Symonds seems to have forgotten his animosity with certain members of the Indian team and Indian crowd to declare his love for the dollar...oops, I meant Indian cricket fans.
A lot of star players from Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and of course India, are taking part in this tournament. Even three West Indians are playing in the IPL, with Chris Gayle turning out for Kolkata, Ramnaresh Sarwan for Mohali, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul for Bangalore.
The organisers of the IPL have gone out of their way to insist that the dates they have chosen will not clash with any international cricket schedules. And that does seem to be the case for the major cricket nations, such as Australia, England, and South Africa. But it does seem as if nobody asked the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)....
The Sri Lankans will be touring the Caribbean shortly, and the last ODI will be played on April 15, three days before the start of the IPL. But the first day of the first Test match against Australia will be played on May 22, with the IPL still two weeks from the final match.
We know that the WICB are the poor relations of world cricket, and they don't have the money that has been on display in the IPL. The millions being lavished by Allen Stanford has been restricted to the Caribbean's own 20/20 competition, but no foreign players are invited to take part in that league.
As a result, the Stanford 20/20 competition is far less disruptive than the IPL to other countries....
There is no doubt that Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul can only benefit from playing alongside other great players in conditions that are different from those in the Caribbean. At Kolkata, Gayle will be playing with other stars of the game, such as the mercurial Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar, the brilliant Aussie captain Ricky Ponting, Kiwi keeper Brendan McCullum, as well as India's experienced allrounder Saurav Ganguly and upcoming pacer Ishant Sharma. Any of these players could turn a game on a single performance, but they are also just as likely to flop all together if things don't go for them.
Chanderpaul will be playing with players a lot like him at Bangalore, such as India's Rahul Dravid, and South African Jacques Kallis. You wonder if these three are playing in the right form of the game! But Saffer pacer Dale Steyn is a crucial acquisition, and his compatriot and gloveman Marc Boucher could turn a game or two with his power-hitting, while Anil Kumble has impressed with his leadership skills.
At Mohali, Sarwan will be playing alongside Indian big-hitter Yuvraj Singh, who was the star of the 20/20 World Cup. The exciting Sri Lankan pair of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara could well provide the Guyanese batsman with the education he needs to take his game to another level.
But what of their preparations for the Australian tour of the Caribbean? Suppose coach John Dyson calls a camp a week or two in advance of the first Test against the Aussies? Will Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul come home early, or will they say, 'Sorry, coach, but we've got big bucks to earn.'
The WICB can't match the funds offered by the IPL. Maybe they will need to change the dates when the West Indies host visits from touring teams. After all, it does rain too much in the Caribbean in May and June, so it was always ridiculous when the FTP set up by the ICC forced the Windies to extend their season to those summer months.
It is possible that the WI may need to start their season a little earlier, in January or February, and then end it in April, before the IPL starts. We may have to see how 2009 turns out....
But in the meantime, the only consolation is that the Australians might be landing on Caribbean shores a little rusty too! Hopefully, they will have a slip or two in the first Test!
Overconfidence can be a dangerous bed-fellow....
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
IPL teams - A subjective assessment
N Balajhi ( Straightdrive ) takes stock of team formations in the new game
The bidding is over and quite a few teams have won 11 players. Some like Jaipur and Mumbai are content with 8. These teams looking rely on local talent. I like that attitude. I was looking through teams and was thinking which is one is good on paper and got into ranking them. I ranked teams on four aspects viz., Opening bat, Middle order, All rounders and Bowlers. The top team ranked one and the last team ranked 8th. The following captures my ranking.
Hyderabad has got the balance and Mohali can be the top team if Sanga and Katich play well.Chennai is high on AR but weak on pure bowlers. I am not convinced that Murali can weave his magic. Ntini can go either way. I like Bangalore's disciplined bowling attack. Steyn has improved a lot. Bracken is a fantatic bargain for them. Mumbai is fantatic in opening but pretty weak on all other departments.
Looks like Mohali or Hyderabad could clinch the first IPL. But I won't be surprised if Bangalore makes it to finals. If they do then it's got to be due to their bowling. Surely Dravid and co can chase down 120ish scores.Your agreements and disagreements? Read More......
A Class Act Called VVS Laxman
Good friend, MP, just brought this to my notice....Laxman gave up "icon" status and the one million dollars that come with it, just so that his team, Hyderabad, could have more money to buy best players.
Hats off to you yet again VVS, you are very very special indeed!
Nice way to start off. I'm with you Hyderabad!
Tragedy Strikes Delhi!
They couldn't hold on to Ishant Sharma! Sold off to Kolkatta for just under a million!
I'm ready to question the owners who have claimed the rights for Delhi.
David Hussey draws money but curiously, his brother, MEK Hussey finds no takers yet.
RP Singh and Mumbai Mamba play for Hyderabad...so that softens the Delhi blow for me. No problems with Dilshan playing for Delhi but I really think GMR group have let Delhi down with Ishant Sharma.
Latest formations -
Jaipur
Shane Warne (US$ 450,000),
Graeme Smith (US$ 475,000),
Younis Khan (US$ 225,000),
Kamran Akmal (US$ 150,000),
Yusuf Pathan (US$ 475,000),
Mohammad Kaif (US$ 675,000),
Munaf Patel (US$ 275,000)
Chennai
MS Dhoni (US$ 1.5 million),
Muttiah Muralitharan (US$ 600,00),
Matthew Hayden (US$ 375,000),
Jacob Oram (US$ 675,000),
Stephen Fleming (US$ 350,000),
Parthiv Patel (US$ 325,000),
Joginder Sharma (US$ 225,000),
Albie Morkel (US$ 675,000),
Suresh Raina (US$ 650,000),
Makhaya Ntini (US$ 200,000)
Mumbai
Sachin Tendulkar (icon),
Sanath Jayasuriya (US$ 975,000),
Harbhajan Singh (US$ 850,000),
Shaun Pollock (US$ 550,000),
Robin Uthappa (US$ 800,000),
Lasith Malinga (US$ 350,000),
Dilhara Fernando (US$ 150,000)
Bangalore
Rahul Dravid (icon),
Anil Kumble (US$ 500,000),
Jacques Kallis (US$ 900,000),
Zaheer Khan (US$ 450,000),
Mark Boucher (US$ 450,000),
Cameron White (US$ 500,000),
Wasim Jaffer (US$ 150,000),
Dale Steyn (US$ 325,000),
Nathan Bracken (US$ 325,000),
Dale Steyn (US$ 325,000)
Hyderabad
Adam Gilchrist (US$ 700,000),
Andrew Symonds (US$ 1.35 million),
Herschelle Gibbs (US$ 575,000),
Shahid Afridi (US$ 675,000),
Scott Styris (US$ 175,000),
VVS Laxman (US$ 375,000),
Rohit Sharma (US$ 750,000),
Chamara Silva (US$ 100,000),
RP Singh (US$ 875,000),
Chaminda Vaas (US$ 200,000),
Nuwan Zoysa (US4 110,000)
Mohali
Yuvraj Singh (icon),
Mahela Jayawardene (US$ 475,000),
Kumar Sangakkara (US$ 700,000),
Brett Lee (US$ 900,000), Sreesanth
(US$ 625,000),
Irfan Pathan (US$ 925,000),
Ramesh Powar (US$ 170,000),
Piyush Chawla (US$ 400,000)
Kolkata
Sourav Ganguly (icon),
Shoaib Akhtar (US$ 425,000),
Ricky Ponting (US$ 400,000),
Brendon McCullum (US$ 700,000),
Chris Gayle (US$ 800,000),
Ajit Agarkar (US$ 330,000),
David Hussey (US$ 675,000),
Ishant Sharma (US$ 950,000),
Murali Kartik (US$ 425,000),
Gul (US$ 150,000)
Delhi
Virender Sehwag (icon),
Daniel Vettori (US$ 625,000),
Shoaib Malik (US$ 500,000),
Mohammad Asif (US$ 650,000),
AB de Villiers (US$ 300,000),
Dinesh Karthik (US$ 525,000),
Farveez Maharoof (US$ 225,000),
Tillakaratne Dilshan (US$ 250,000),
Manoj Tiwary (US$ 675,000),
Gautam Gambhir (US$ 725,000)
Delhi is losing out in the race now.
With due respect to all concerned, Wasim Jaffer was a nice pick by Bangalore!
Hyderbad has an all-leftie pace attack...rather unidimensional what?
What's GMR doing? They have one and a half spinner, two and a half part-time ,and Asif and Maharoof as pacers. Is that the team they visualized? Mistake to not bid for Ishant Sharma at all cost.
Delhi to Hyderabad Non-stop!
Indian Premier League: IPL teams taking shape
This is a no-nonsense route....straight and to the point as the crow flies. These are the two points of the IPL journey relevant to me. Most holidays, you'll find me on this route.
A few points come out from the bidding process which suggest careful thought has gone into it.
1) Multi-tasking players are more expensive than single-talent players.
2) There are teams building up from scratch and there are teams buying only what's needed wisely.
Some teams are chasing names and splurging hard.
Let's see what Delhi and Hyderbad have till now -
Delhi: Owned by GMR group
Virender Sehwag (icon),
Daniel Vettori (US$ 625,000), - NZ
Shoaib Malik (US$ 500,000), - Pak
Mohammad Asif (US$ 650,000), - Pak
AB de Villiers (US$ 300,000), - SA
Dinesh Karthik (US$ 525,000) -IND
Mahroof (SL)
Considering they have Ishant, Gambo and Sangwan likely to play...this is a good team. The kind of team you have a hunch about. I would like to see Pathan, Kaif, McGrath and Hussey considered. But maybe they are needed more by Hyderabad. For Ishant, bowling alongside McGrath would be the best lesson of all.
Hyderabad: Owned by Deccan Chronicle group
Adam Gilchrist (US$ 700,000), (Aus)
Andrew Symonds (US$ 1.35 million), (Aus)
Herschelle Gibbs (US$ 575,000), (SA)
Shahid Afridi (US$ 675,000) (Pak)
Scott Styris (NZ)
Laxman hasn't joined in as yet. They are building from scratch and should be interested in four players mentioned above in the reserve pool.
Where are the bowlers for Hyderbad?
I had hoped Brett Lee would have been bid aggressively for by these two teams but someone else was more interested in the gent...Lee's been picked up by Priety.
Latest...Pathan goes to Priety too...Mohali.
I'm disappointed Pathan was let off by both teams. OK, he was priced at just under one-million, but Delhi or Hyderabad should have taken him. They have plenty of money left under the cap still!
Joginder Sharma gets a leg-up to Chennai!
WTF !
There are two teams I'll be supporting in IPL - Delhi and Hyderabad.
Delhi haven't made a buy yet, Hyderabad have.
Hyderbad's first was Gilly and I was happy ( re: the conversation we had UJ ). So far so good.
Then they go and buy Andrew Symonds! And for the second best price after Dhoni! 5.4 crores in all...WTF! Wonderful player, and always applauded his game over the years, till such a time that his mental state began overtaking his game. Still appreciate his game, his fielding but....how am I going to root for Hyderabad now? That's where the parental home is...that's where my vacation flat is...that's where my dream plot of land (still awaiting a dreamier home) is!
Looks like I'm condemned to Athithi devo bhava (translated: a guest is god incarnate...therefore must be looked after as you'd look after god-come-visiting, irrespective of all) this IPL season.
I'll have to re-learn a few things...a few social manners all over again. It's like being forced to live together again after a bitter divorce! WTF! Life goes on...any case I better keep a psychiatrist handy.
Well...we have the Australians gathering in Hyderabad alongwith Australiophile Laxman...maybe McGrath and Lee join them there. I'll probably focus on Gilly and any other who join in and pussy-foot around Symo.
The best of the Lankans have gone to Chandigarh and the symbolic ones to Chennai and Mumbai.
In all this I think Delhi is the smartest....with Sehwag, Gambo, Ishant, Sangwan to begin with, they are in a good shape and preserving their budget for critical buys. I hope they get Kaif in and one more bowler...maybe McGrath.
In fact, Delhi has gone ahead and bought the studious Kiwi Skip - Daniel Vettori.
Chennai are buying all the ornaments - Fleming, Oram, Haydos, Murali, Dhoni...but I guess Hyderabad or Delhi will come out trumps in this league. They have substance. (there I go already with ADB!) Seriously...Delhi has four good players already in their ranks and need just the right fits now...Vettori is OK. I'll go for one bat and McGrath. Hyderabad have Gilly and Symo and Laxman...two more buys...bowlers and they are set too. I'd like Kaif and Pathan with one of the two teams and Sreesanth.
Why isn't anyone bidding for McGrath and MEK Hussey?
Delhi? Hyderabad? Are you awake?
By the way, Kolkatta has Saurav and Shoaib, Ponting, McCallum and Gayle....quite a Sin City that'll be!
Well well well Herschelle Gibbs of the 400+ chase fame goes to Hyderabad along with Boom Boom Afridi! Not bad...not bad Hyderabad....good buys , wise batting investment. But where are your bowlers?
How much money has Chennai spent? They are paying plenty of money.... The rights owner for Chennai is also a BCCI official so I hope no concessions are being made to them!
Delhi looks like it will go with home-grown talent and youngsters. Good job there too. Just pick up McGrath...
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
India Swamp South Africa
Match Report U 19 ICC CWC 2008: India vs South Africa
Related Articles in Chronological order:
- Pradeep Sangwan Swinging Out South Africa
- Vandiar Wages a Lone Battle for South Africa
- U-19 CWC Results
The target of 150 was always going to be made difficult by a stung South African team. They did exactly that and even though India were never in any great trouble, it required 42 overs to overhaul the small total.
Opener Taruwar Kohli of Punjab anchored the chase with a comfortable 54. The attitude shown by the player was commendable - he was watchful when required, respectful to the good ball and dispatched the bad as and when required. He didn't appear too flustered by the short stuff either.
Tanmay Srivastava continued his good form with an important 47. This boy can cut, pull, and hook too. Virat Kohli saw the team home with 25.
I liked the way Wayne Parnell, the left arm seamer, shaped up for South Africa. He has pace and moves the ball both ways too.
With this India has won both its league encounters played thus far.
Other results of the day
Pakistan, the top seeds and defending champions, faced a tough match too against a strong New Zealand side which had overwhelmed Zimbabwe yesterday. Pakistan prevailed, defending a small target of 156 by bowling out the Kiwis for 129. Pakistan attack looks the strongest of the lot.
England coasted yet again, crushing Bermuda in 10 overs. First they bowled them out for 55 and achieved the target in 10 overs. Bermuda is indeed having a tough time in cricket - Stanford 20/20, U 19 CWC, and Women's WC qualifier where they scored 13 runs in 18 overs and conceded the target in four balls to South Africa!
But the bowling performance of the day came from Nepal, who restricted Australia to 206. Khadka took four wickets against the strong Oz team. That Nepal lost was no surprise, but their bowling performance was as heartening as a wake-up call for Australia U19's. Read More......
VRV Singh Spreads Strife in West Zone Ranks
Duleep Trophy Finals 2008, Day One
The Duleep Trophy finals between West Zone and North Zone commenced today.
VRV scalped five to bundle out West for 274. Ajinkya Rahane, who did well against the English Lions, scored 91 to prevent a rout.
In reply, North are 53 without loss. Unless West Zone pulls out a few bowling tricks (Yusuf Pathan did it to the Lions) , this match looks like it is slipping out of their hands for Aakash Chopra is one motivated player this season and Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia have contributed well this season.
More tomorrow...today was lost between the CB Series and U19 cup.
Scorecard
Dhoni Escorts India Home
CB Series 2008: India vs Sri Lanka, Eighth Match
Related Article: Pigs Have Wings
Scorecard
India won it's CB series encounter against Sri Lanka with four balls to spare. Thus, it stays alive in this series.
India couldn't overcome its starting troubles, and this time Robin was promoted to three. The top three didn't work.
Malinga produced a fast outswinging beauty to knock Sachin's stumps out, after squaring him up, on the second ball he faced. Wily Vaas and Amarasinghe kept the pressure on.
Robin was run out. Lucky for India, Yuvraj decided it was game on for him. He played some exquisite strokes in between periods of watch and clumsiness against Murali. I don't mind the clumsiness at all if he can determine to apply himself the best he can against spinners. Too often he brings a snowed out feel along with him to the ground. He scored 76 off 70 balls.
This is why I would keep Yuvraj for the ODIs for at least two-three years from here despite his periodic blackouts. Test matches are a different game. What I'd work on, as regards Yuvraj , is try and help him maintain concentration and confidence (not bravado) over longer intervals of time.
His 60-run partnership with Captain Dhoni brought India towards the less dense parts of the woods...but India were still in them. In fact, they were in the woods till the very end.
Pathan replaced Yuvraj at the wicket and he too forged an important partnership with Dhoni to take India to an almost safe spot. The batsmen had even begun to eschew risky singles...the ask was down to 4...and India was looking to do this in comfort of singles and twos. They didn't get them for a few balls and somehow some kind of signal or alert is triggered off by that. Pathan hoicked like a man who has never batted before and was clean bowled off an innocuous Amarasinghe delivery that simply was on line. India quickly slipped back into the woods.
Praveen Kumar played a domestic game and lacked nous. The ask was evening up and Harbhajan didn't have that aggro look in his eyes. The four leg-byes off Malinga's made things a little easier, but that was a good over to Harbhajan which ended with his wicket and no further runs.
Ishant played out the next over and three remained to be scored off the last.
Dhoni's cramping didn't inspire confidence...3 looked like 30. The opening wide of the over made it that much easier....the next ball was a willed effort fro Dhoni who ran two despite cramps for all he was worth (re comment the other day). got the two for victory and for his own fifty. Good stuff by Dhoni but Indian batting is still a lemon.
Before all this transpired, one has to consider how Lanka goit to the total they eventually did....scoring just over 6 an over off their last 25 overs after being 2 down for 6 in the third over of the day.
Both the openers left quickly and Indian bowling was accurate without being dangerous. Sanga and Jayawerdene demonstrated the value of experience and how a recovery operation was to be conducted in the face of ungiving bowling. The two settled in first, got the measure of the wicket and bowlers, and then pounced on Harbhajan and Praveen Kumar.
Sanga, the man of the match, scored a brilliant rescue century. Jayawerdene contributed 71.
In this tournament 238 has been a large total, and for India which was struggling to get past 150 in its last few matches, this was a huge ask in a do or die battle.
That they came out of it somehow Houdini-like has much to do with Dhoni's demeanour.
India won this match but they aren't a winning batting combination yet.
Monday, 18 February 2008
The David Hussey Petition
Dear Readers,
Uncle J rod has a keen nose for players. In the six months of blogging alongside him, that much I have gathered. He picks David Hussey for inclusion into the Australian one-day team without delay and has initiated a petition addressed to the CA selectors for the same.
Please head over to Cricket with Balls and append your signature to the petition.
Thank you
Soulberry
Vandiar Wages a Lone Battle for South Africa
Match Update, ICC Under 19 CWC, Malaysia: India vs South Africa
Scorecard
Previous match article: Pradeep Sangwan Swinging Out South Africa
South Africa bowled out for 149 in the 31st over. India need 150 to win at an ask of 3 rpo.
After the early heroics of Pradeep Sangwan, Jonathan Vandiar of Kwazulu-Natal counterattacked along with Parnell. Together, they added 64 quick runs and had the SA run rate leaping.
Virat Kohli, Sangwan's Delhi team mate decided to bowl him through all his overs. Sangwan was visibly tiring...the no=balls came thick and fast along with the wides. ground fielding wasn't the best either.
Sangwan goes a bit too wide off the crease and often clips the side crease.
Vandiar motored to a swift half-century and is still playing.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja, who also bowls in first class cricket, picked up Parnell, Pienaar and Adams (the other hero of yesterday) with his SLO stuff to leave SA wobbling 8 down and in the danger of being bowled out.
That's wicket number nine snared by Mumbai's Iqbal Abdulla! Beautiful flighted delivery decieving Vandiar and Goswami had an easy stumping behing the wickets. That keeper is good! Abdulla had a good Irani Trophy this season but not much later.
130-9 SA in the 37th.
By the way, Goswami the keeper is a fancy bat too...next update after 30 minutes.
UPDATE
South Africa bowled out for 149 in the 31st over. Iqbal Abdulla has Barnes lofting to long-on and India have a short session before lunch in their chase for 150.
Net run rates will come into play and India would like to get those runs quickly. That said, South Africa are traditionally a tenacious team and we saw that in their batting yesterday. Today, I expect them to make India earn every run.
Pigs Have Wings
CB Series 2008: India vs Sri Lanka, Eighth Match
Scorecard
I tell you I saw them fly past my window! And they had wings!
If you are thinking that I've knocked back one this early in the morning, Sir, you do me great injustice. The fact is I saw Munaf actually reach down quick enough to a Sanga straight drive and fingertip Sanath out at the bowler's end for 0...Munaf claimed a run out!
Besides, he picked up Dilshan behind the wicket. And he's bowling a stingy line and length too!...Two maiden overs thus far and Lanka 7-2 in the sixth. Now you get an idea of what a well placed mirchi can do...and Ishant has been red hot chilli pepper this season! Munaf is learning after all!
So you see, when I turned away from the screen, I saw them pigs fly past my window.
Ishant of course is doing his regular business.
Pradeep Sangwan Swinging Out South Africa
Live Match Report U 19 ICC CWC 2008: India vs South Africa
Scorecard
Sangwan is on fire! Lets see how...
It is a bit taxing to be watching two India matches simultaneously - India are playing South Africa today in the under-19 world cup and take on Sri Lanka in a do-or-die battle in the CB series. This was just like the other day India played PNG and Australia. I'll focus on the U19, for the action is all here.
17 year old Pradeep Sangwan of Delhi, a left-arm medium pacer whos swings the ball both ways at a nippy pace, has crippled South Africa by picking up four wickets in five overs!
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat. They were a little flustered having to play back-to-back matches, and they ran headlong into Pradeep Sangwan and his opening mate, Ajitesh K Argal, who is a right arm paceman who also swings the ball both ways.
The SA top order didn't have a clue! PJ Malan went LBW on the second ball off a Sangwan delivery which came into the right hander just late and rapped him plumb. SA were 0-1.
With the score at 11, Smuts was foxed and bowled by an incoming beauty from Sangwan as he played half-cock forward...again, trademark swing.
Hendricks, a southpaw, nicked an away going delivery for keeper Goswami to take an easy one. SA 22-3 in the seventh over.
Yesterday's hero for the Proteas, Rossouw, was caught brilliantly, diving and with both hands, by Ravindra Jadeja at firt slip. The ball was a set-up....a few tight ones and then one invitingly outside the off stump. Rossouw's eyes lit up and went for a fierce drive...only, the ball swung late and just that bit out to take the edge. SA were 29 for 4 and their best batsman yesterday, gone!
Meanwhile, Argal was doing his own bit without wickets to show.
Since then, Saffers have counter-attacked boldly and ably assisted by some poor ground fielding have leapt to 45 - 4 in the 13th.
Bowled! Sangwan picks a FIFFER! Vallie bowled! Didn't read the swing at all and the ball came in with the arm, curled between his bat and pad, and knocked out his stumps. SA 45-5!
This 17 year old is ripping! Just as he ripped out all-comers in the Ranji to lead his team, Delhi to the Ranji title after more than a decade!
This boy is a future star!
More later as I peek at the CB series.
Harold Dennis Bird MBE
In a quiz, if you clued me in with Harold Dennis, I'd still be blank; but in a game of dumb charades, if you flicked back your sleeves and raised your arms skywards step by step, or thrust out the finger of fate towards my brow, I'd yell out "Dickie!" immediately. Perhaps the best known umpire of all time!
Harold Dennis Bird was a miner's son from Barnsley, Yorkshire. That's Boycott territory too, and both of them together would make you earmark time in your cramped tourist trip schedule to England, so that you could scoot over to Yorkshire, perhaps find a pub to drink in the patented brand of expression, or probably take a quick peek over the hedges to see if Boycott's Mum was truth or fiction, or maybe hope to run into Dickie in his environment. I would make that time if I were ever planning a trip to England. Cricket and it's heritage would be a prominent part in my case if such a hypothetical trip were to transpire. Dickie, for me, is part of cricketing heritage.
He wasn't a 100% accurate umpire. It wasn't as if Dickie didn't make mistakes. But with him you always knew it was an honest man at work and the rub of green at play. He didn't mess around and neither did the players with him. He wasn't a policeman bunged into a cricket field but a fine diplomat of village cricketing stock.
There was no spit and polish in his sophistication; the sheen was all born under the sandpapering of playing seasons of first class cricket with sincerity and good humor. The character was all cricket and players responded in like spirit.
Dickie Bird officiated in 66 tests and three world cup finals. His first test was in 1970 and the final was in 1996 at Lords in a test match between England and India.
He played 93 first-class matches for Leicestershire and Yorkshire with a top score of 181.
He set up the Dickie Bird Foundation whose stated vision is in their own words -
"The vision of the Foundation is to assist financially disadvantaged young people under 18 years of age to participate, to the best of their ability, in the sport of their choice irrespective of their social circumstances, culture or ethnicity and to ensure that, in doing so, they improve their chances both inside and outside sport."
Dickie Bird was awarded the MBE in 1986 in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.
His autobiography sold over one-million copies without any controversies to boost sales and is titled, as expected of from the man, simply, My Autobiography.
He is now to be immortalized in bronze....a statue to be unveiled in Barnsley and copies to be installed in Melbourne and in India.
Dickie is a welcome fixture here in India.
152.6
With the speed guns trained on him, Ishant Sharma went ahead to record that figure...152.6 k's in yesterday's lost encounter. This is the fastest an Indian has ever bowled in international cricket since speed measurements came into existence.
It is reported that Ishant is ready to undergo Pepsification soon.
All that's fine, but I hope the lad doesn't forget his daily glass of milk in the process.
Sunday, 17 February 2008
U 19 CWC 2008: West Indies vs South Africa
ICC U-19 CWC 2008, Malaysia: West Indies vs South Africa
Adrian Bharath was my focus of interest in this youthful West Indian team. I have heard good things about him and am told he is the future West Indian opener, if not the captain. Along with Keiran Powell, he began well, and West Indies were gallopping along at a fair clip. At the end of 10 overs, West Indies were 65 without loss, Bharath having contributed 19 of them, and Powell being the more aggressive of the two. That's when the troubles began for West Indies. Bharath was caught behind off quickie, Parnell.
Guyanese, Steven Jacobs, fell in the same over...caugh and bowled by Parnell for nought and suddenly the good start had slipped away. The tenacious cricketing culture of South Africa was coming to the fore.
Ere he could settle in, Captain Sharmarh Brooks of Barbados, was snapped up, caught, by West Griqualand medium pacer, Roy Adams. There was one four to show for his efforts.
Meanwhile Powell had recorded his fifty and looked good for more but concentration wavered and he too was taken off Pienaar. Now, South Africa were dominant.
There was more heartbreak for West Indies as Andre Creary and Darren Bravo (younger sibling of Dwayne Bravo) failed to impose. 133-6 and with 17 more overs to go, it did begin to look a wasted start.
It was here that Antiguan keeper Devon Thomas and Jamaican, Shacaya Thomas played some bold but sensible cricket.
Devon Thomas scored a fine fifty before being stumped off Pienaar. Shacaya Thomas followed at the same score. Together they put on 78 valuable runs for WI. Now they have a respectable score to bowl at. 223 is the target for South Africa.