Ten years hence, when one browses through public news archives and chances upon the year 2009, one would find organs of opinion from Down Under and from the Old Country having you believe that Chris Gayle had changed drastically. Tall names, stately senators of the game, as well as those who comment and write upon on it for a living, besides indulging their passion for the game of course, followed by armies of backbenchers...minor pamphleteers, tabloideers, that species of forum experts and blogmasters like us...all such mimics of those senatorial opinionaters... have all imputed motives to Gayle's very existence in the game; and through those imputations, have wanted us to believe that he had changed demonically, weirdly distorted, thanks to the T20 revolution and his misrepresented views on the game of cricket.
One would find in the archives of time, plenty of unfounded sarcasm directed at Gayle in 2009. One may find something like this - "Gayle - the all-swing, all-bling poster child of the Twenty20 revolution" for instance. The baseless typecasting of Chris Gayle. They would all be wrong of course, as we would find on delving deeper into the archives.
Their own database would reveal to one that Chris Gayle had changed very little since the day he first played for West Indies. One would find that he, Gayle, was laid back then and he was laid back in 2009. He was shy then, and continued to be unguarded and trusting. Gayle's entire career had been one of arid sceneries with sparse greenery thrown in random clumps.
And all of the above transpiring much before the "T20 revolution" and the "related comments" he is being hanged with throughout 2009. The very use of the term "revolution" is cunning. With one stroke Gayle is prefixed and suffixed with the image of leading a mutiny against the orthdoxy, all the while appearing to remain on the side of forward thinking progress. The cheek of it! So archaic is this form of discrimination.
His career shows seasons where the average dips when the number of matches played increases beyond 3 or 4 mostly. His two best seasons have been 2004 and 2008-09, where he has played over 5 matches and maintained an average over 50.
In most other seasons he averages over 50, they are over the short distance of 2 or 3 matches and therefore prone to insufficient data bias. And this is a pattern right through his career from 1999-2000. That is the most consistent thread in it and long before the T20 revolution.
What is being observed in the 2009-10 season is no different from the majority seasons of his career! In fact, one would find on examination of the data that the 2008-09 season has been his most productive of all...all of 7 test matches and maintaining an average of 66.33 over it! So much for the Bling-Bling Swisher of the T20 Revo having ruined his career through his adeptness in the shortest format thesis being put copiously out by the Anglo-Ozzie media! And the Caribbean people and media lap it up!
This aggressive seizure of a laid-back man's reflective small talk to a lady journalist has been mated with his usual style of play to create a particular impression for completely different purposes... merely a convenient argument employed by those who find some use for it even if it is completely fallacious. Such comments and typecasting stirs up the mindless follower of the game in the intended direction. If English media scorned him in England, it was induced by twin hates of the time - because he had just won a series off them and they felt threatened by the "T20 Revolution"; with the Ozzie media it is just a ploy to disintegrate the visiting captain and therefore demoralize the team out of habit.
For both Anglo-Ozzie media, there are also other reasons for making a public example out of Chris Henry Gayle. The political imbalance they feel has seized their game injures so! And Chris Henry Gayle is the easily available representative of that ire producing league.
The people of the Caribbean region also, who for long have seen their own emancipation in the best imitation of such, haven't spared Gayle any consideration. Coupled with that and magnified by subterrean bias within the conglomerate of West Indies, Gayle has found great sorrow in the arms of his own people as well. They call him their own and yet play the same tricks on him that others do. Drop him if you think his entire career was inadequate, for nothing has changed from day one to present. He is the way he has been, yet suddenly it is fashionable to hate him?
Admittedly, the man lacks the required head over his broad shoulders. He speaks to press as if among friends in a Kingston rum shop. But that's his lifestyle....it is different. Ad there is nothing about him that's changed overnight.
He may not merit a place on the team - that is a matter for selectorial debate depending upon how you see his game and value to the team - but to try and create something false out of his normal way of playing, his normal career record, his usual demeanour, I think is the worst kind of character assasination one has seen people get away with. The most malignant part of it is to use that falsehood to throw a punch elsewhere through him.
Change the captain if you feel Gayle is not up to the job, but not on the grounds that are being made out - that he is a Blinga Bling rock star...have the Ozzies ever entertained your suggestion that they change a fellow like Punter from his captaincy? On grounds of his disregard for ethics of the game? Or have the Englishmen taken your advice to drop one of their incompetents on the team? No, they did it on their own if they have, and for their own reasons.
West Indians are disappointed and frustrated for long - they are divided by internal debates - they are easy targets for manipulation by those who have no sense of correctness and fair play. They'll believe anything that appears to act as salve and balm...even if it means tearing to shreds one of their own with the scissors of lies. Tear him up with true facts if you want...that's up to you.
Once again, Gayle's career stats to show that he is no different in 2009 than he was in 1999. In fact his best season was in 2008-09.
The faithless men with their unfaithful faiths! Go ahead and make him an example...string him up on the cross of your fake piety...make him an example of truth if you will, but never by the ropes of such blatantly motivated falsehoods people have thrust into your hypnotized hands..
Monday, 30 November 2009
The Unfaithful Faithful
Striking the right balance is important
Irfan said every domestic match has become of immense importance to him. "Every cricketer has to improve to cement his place in the national team. I am trying to give my best in every domestic match and hope it will get the attention of selectors."
Inspired Irfan @ Cricinfo
Naturally one is pleased that the younger Irfan is coming out of denial and is willing to accept that there is some work to be done. We belong to the category of those Irfan admirers who live on slender hopes that a miracle could transpire and he'll be back bowling bananas for India and batting usefully down in the middle. It is true that we have been battered by Irfan's decline, the origins of which we trace to the heavy workload on his young shoulders during th Pakistan tour and the fateful West Indies tour soon after. Irfan was leading the attack through too much of cricket then - injuries or Chappell having dispatched off some veteran bowlers in that period - and leading the attack on rather monotonous pitches too. By the time the Pakistan series was ending, Irfan was fading. There was lack of balance in the amount and kind of cricket he was playing back then.
There is also lack of balance in the way BCCI is now structuring its cricket. It has slipped to the other extreme - where that market paradigm rules which says that if you do not come up with a nw model, somebody else will. In the bargain it is chasing the elusive tail. I'm talking about IPL expanding to ten teams, or perhaps more, and also having a collaborative second season in the US market.
It is possible that BCCI has been brainwashed into believing in that marketing philosophy, or more ominously, forced into thinking along those lines by the pressure brought upon them by franchisees and their profit motives. It is like riding a tiger. BCCI's own programme is now suborned to IPL.
Change is necessary, progress is given, nobody disputes those. Change and progress must expand in such a way that the child survives to live rather than be crushed in too urgent a birth.
Irfan Pathan is a classic case of things going from bad to worse simply because he couldn't take a step back and sort out his problems sincerely.
For the sake of public consumption people say many things which must be said. One can create standard paragraphs with blanks to fill up for different players and situations...public responses of players is that standardized these days. Irfan's main weapon was not pace only...he mostly bowled in mid-to-late 130s to early 140s for his faster one. His main weapon was swing, which he could elicit almost at will in any direction, and clever changes based on instinctive anticipation. His swinging yorkers would invariably find their mark.
He may not have liked to accept that he had lost the art, or the confidence in his art. Maybe he didn't want to acknowledge fitness issues. One doesn't know if it is one or a combination of these factors, but what was evident was that Pathan wasn't swinging the ball and he was talking standard dialogues rather than properly introspecting.
There was too much going on to allow correction of lost form. There was too much going on to miss the carousel of cricket. The stakes became too high to allow admission of any sort.
I am glad Irfan is resetting his thought process.
I hope he gives up talk about his needing to be there....if he gets that swing going, he'll be the first person there! It is not pace pace and pace...it is what you do with the pace you have. The focus on him to develop so much pace...like a Shoaib or something...made him lose what he had. The flexibile body, which swished through like a headmaster's cane, could imapart many dimensions to the aerodynamics of the ball's flight. His shoulder bulk increased with growth and exercise, but somehow it didn't translate into greater pace...he just lost that flexibility in his run up and action which made him more of a chowkidar's lathi than the swishing cane he was to begin with.
It coincided with the loss of movement in his bowling IMO.
I don't know what's busted in Irfan...he knows best and maybe he should seek the counsel of those who guided him initially and played alongside him as he grew up...people who can speak honestly and not try to teach him something new...just help him recollect how he did things.
He needs to strike the right balance in his game; the Ranji is a great place to work things out, get those lost skills going and the confidence coming back. Sincere perseverance will bring results...no hurry, cut-paste jobs this time Irfan.
I also hope BCCI wakes up to striking the right balance in cricket so that adequate tests, and non-toxic number of LOIs are planned. Rudra Pratap Singh is another such talent who is on the verge of being lost for good for similar reasons. And those talented ones who have lost form or are injured should be allowed to go back in peace and with encouragement and come back stronger. They shouldn't have to worry about being penalized more han necessary. The biggest fear is falling out of favour completely once you are away from the charmed circle. But Pathan should know best that nothing can stop a person with a flurry of able performances.
Just get that balance right...from run up to follow through. The rest will take care of itself. Insha Allah!
Irfan's first test wicket in the video below - observe the run up, release and delivery and follow through. I could not find recent videos showing the heavier run up now. Maybe people aren't recording his bowling anymore...The pace and swing came from that springy action. It was in West Indies that he began to look thick and uncomfortably muscled.
Some batting reminders through a significant moment in Irfan's repertoire:
And I found this video for Balaji's India's Quick Problem! RP Singh too figures in it.
Read More......
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Is England peaking too early or timing it just right?
England lost to Australia in emphatic fashion. That's true. They lost to India before that in equally emphatic fashion. That's also true. But they have been moving towards a better equlibrium in the team.
Jonathan Trott has brought his form into all forms of the game and England has benefitted. Luke Wright is working out just about as they'd want. Morgan suggests he likes to play this game. Stuart Broad is indeed having the middle laugh on the people, including yours truly, who believed he had little more than what he had revealed thus far, and is developing in a gradual, injury and burnout-free manner into an experienced bowler.
Collingwood is living the second wind to his career and the rest of the batting appears ready to cooperate. Strauss is actually working out well at the top and KP is yet to hit the straps. Swann continues to be a troublesome bowler who can also bat lower down the order. In fact, this England team can bat deep and still have bowlers to go around.
When Anderson is feeling good, England are bound to win more often than lose. He is a class bowler when the rhythm is working.
All this is working well, in English home conditions.
In the Champion's trophy, they did exceedingly well to reach the semis. The momentum has been building up gradually. That time we wondered if they'd indeed break the hoodoo and win their virgin world title.
Then the Somerset team had a decent outing in the first CLT20 in India.
The Englishmen are beginning to learn how to play outside home as well. I am not prepared to state if they are good travellers yet beyond a spot or two on the globe, but it does look that they are 1) beginning to take the 50-50 format a little more seriously than before as this format gradually acquires the burnished sheen of "orthodox" cricket with the emergence of T20 glitter, 2) are expressing a stronger unashamed desire to win one of these world competitions, and 3) are making a greater effort to hold their sphincters while on tour. Perhaps it is the exposure some of their players are regularly getting overseas. 4) Can they sustain their good form over a period of time? England haven't been too great in this regard in the past. But you can see this team feels the "hurt" of losing...at least some blokes on it dislike losing in ODIs strongly enough to want to keep winning. Maybe they'll keep the team from peaking too early and going pfffft...when the time comes.
Maybe it is the influence of Andy Flower here. Maybe it is the influence of Strauss and Collingwood in the dressing room - Strauss appears to be a man who wants to keep winning something or the other ( people say he has a contract with a toothpaste company to smile with the full batheesi, and you got to keep winning something to show them or else people begin to wonder...but I do not belive that story...I think the man is just enjoying proving points whenever he can, wherever he can ) while Collingwood has always been the sort of bloke who is willing to travel distances to win.
The ability to provide an overwhelming surge to their score was always lacking with England in the modern times. Freddie was a lottery performer and KP was the only one who could do that. Now Morgan, Trott, Wright, Collingwood, Prior are prepared to do that alogside KP. A few countries enjoyed that most necessary advantage over England in the post-modern phase of this game. Now the difference is shortening. Bowling outside their home will be the real test.
They may not end up winning the 2011 world cup, but don't be surprised if they put up a good performance in it...or even win it all!
England in South Africa 2009-10 Tour results
Saturday, 28 November 2009
Adrian Barath reminded me of Vishy
Image Courtesy Ms. Lavern Morris with thanks
We have been cautioned that "Cricket more than any game is inclined towards sentimentalism and cant." That "the players of cricket have been arranged and displayed in a white and shining hagiology." Cardus
So what do we, those who watch cricket because we like to, do, when we come across players in instances which challenge the very stiff cynicism we have been packaged so tightly into? What do we do when we discover that the deformed joy and silenced fantasies over the game within us have stirred a little? What do we do when we discover that our eyelids are no longer drooping, trying to force us out of our compulsion to watch and into our beds of sleep instead? What do we do when we suddenly notice that our jaws have sagged open, and hoarse joy dribbles constantly out in the manner of a long awaited rainfall to our parched throats? When did our limbs last move, to come together to applaud on their own accord? Waving away the flags of identity we have been forced to adopt, to breathe some life into an interest bludgeoned down by repetition, sameness and predictability?
We no longer have the suspense of uncovered pitches that hatch unknown plots through the nights. We no longer have players beyond the clique of predictables spanning across nations arousing our curiosity and questioning with their novel interpretations of existing patterns. We know the masters of this era all too well by now. We are deeply familiar with the style that identifies uniquely their creations. Sometimes they too surprise us with deviations, but like all deviations, they are merely distracted impermanance. We have begun to understand the frequency of these deviations too from the masters - cricket has become that predictable. Irrespective of the format.
Too often we cannot even recognize the face behind the grill, the head under the helmet; we cannot measure the broadness of courage behind the chest guards, and indeed, more often than not, we cannot set apart strokes as singular, or unique to a particular player, as they are pumped out of the thick density of their bat blades like untypical bullets from just another AK-47. Discrimination, taste, acumen, discernment, subtlety...indifference, conformity, normality, regularity, usualness, closely calibrated standardization, have slipped away with all those, our zest for the game of uncertainities, without our realizing it, and left behind our hollow shells of mere habit which expect nothing, look for nothing new, experience nothing deeply moving.
But once in a while we come across something that thaws us out of it. Sets our senses free to indulge themselves, revelling in themselves, entranced in the sweetness of just being....before squeezing themselves back into their pickle jars when their time is up.
If 19-year old Umar Akmal of Pakistan was liberating cricket addicts from New Zealand, another 19-year old, Adrian Barath of West Indies, in Brisbane down under, was carving away the inanimate keratin thickness of long disillusionment encasing the combined clans of cricketing warriors of a lost era. The West Indies were alive through their night for the duration of his innings. It doesn't appear that they wish to remain sleeping any longer. Adrian Barath may have been declared out LBW by technology, but the Caribbean peoples and the rest of the world believe he is going to bat again and for long.
They, and we, are preparing to watch him bat again....watch Barath and Akmal...the keyword being "preparing".
When was the last time we "prepared" to watch cricket?
Pressure, surrender, fear - they were mere words in a book neither Barath or Akmal have bothered to read. So busy they were playing cricket simultaneously, these past few days.
Barath began as an unwanted. This "yute" from Clarke Road Cricket Club, as a friend and fellow cricket follower called him, had to rise upon the kind of merit which even the strongest hide of bias couldn't ignore. But that was just the beginning. He had to then play to stay - for the next test! And all this he had to do on his first chance.
As laws of natural selection deem, those who emerge from a trial by fire are the ones worth progressing. And so it was that he was on the plane to Australia and in the team for the opening test match at Brisbane to face an Australian team bristling at unforseen losses to England and impatience of having to play a dissipated West Indies when they'd dearly love to have and lay across the Englishmen, in their wintry summer.
We had been warned that "Today the complacent gloss has more or less gone; cricket is openly played as a sport for men and not cherubim." And once again warned that "for years Australians have brought an astringent realpolitik to the game." Cardus It was in Australia, in the den of proud Kangaroos nursing defeat in the Old country, that Adrian "AB" Barath would have to debut.
Addicts of the game who watch anything and everything out of habit, supported only by their stout cynicism through their torture and cold turkey, were waiting - little gusts of fetid breath puffing out of their typing fingers to stun hope, and gnarled sticks of hopelessness tamping impatiently on the boards to beat black and blue the failure that Barath was to be. Bo rat he could easily be. Such was the anticipation born out of helplessness when a career was being birthed in their home.
Those who spoke of his exploits and injected hope were called preachers and worse.
The blame lay not in the people but in their long disappointment. That pebble thrown in from the window couldn't be a nugget of gold...
Windies were following on. The Kangaroos were all over. Australia had believed for long now that West Indies was a rock star team and had no business on the test fields of cricket. They had already prised out a diamond - Chris Gayle was back with Dowlin following soon. Barath, the nineteen year old, was standing on the other side.
Hilfenhaus, Siddle, Johnson and Watson...all roared in to squash the kid. They bowled short, he rose on his toes, leaned back on his weight, bringing his bat from the heavens in an arc to cut square above the ball with a roll of the wrists, and the bat finished with a flourish back in the heavens above the opposite shoulder.
They did it again, this time a little meaner, faster, higher, closer - Barath stretched his meagre height a little more like a band of elastic and cut again in the same manner and watched the ball shoot to the boundary in a perfectly balanced repose. Not a fielder had moved. The bowler hadn't even begun to turn his head towards the ball when it rasped the boards outside the long boundaries of Oz.
When they pitched it up, he drove them straight as an arrow behind the bowler or into the covers. Timing, skill, confidence and clarity...He reminded me so much of GR Viswanath, another debutonner like Barath!
His defence was as accurate as his cuts and drives. Whenever bowlers strayed onto his legs, he made them pay handsomely.
Ponting plunged Hauritz the off spinner at him - Barath cur his square, cut him to point, pushed out a leg and square drove him to the boundary, a straight drive, a pull to deep square leg - the youngster showed a range like a master does in demonstrating to students. Fittingly, it was a drive through point off Watson that brought the cherished mark to him.Wagon Wheel
He could not save West Indies.Score neither could Akmal save Pakistan. They were far too behind and laden down with the burden for one youngster to pull all to safety. But Barath played. He showed he could play this version of the game well enough too. He showed that he could play his own game even under pressure. Yes, he has flipped a page indeed and shown us a glimpse of the future along with Akmal in New Zealand. Two 19-year old debutonners within a day of each other is indeed a treat.
Barath is the youngest Debutonner for West Indies as well.
I await Pujara to join this small tribe of quality youngsters who will shape the future of cricket.
I would like to thank Ms.Lavern Morris, a cricket enthusiast who likes to travel to watch the game at different centres around the globe, for allowing me the use of Barath's photograph she took at Brisbane. Respect. Read More......
Friday, 27 November 2009
Joining the 100 club
India won the second test versus Sri Lanka today to enter the 100 test win club. Out of the older set of test nations, it is the last but one to join this club. Only New Zealand remains and it leads the newer test playing nations with 66 wins to Sri Lanka's 60.
I wonder what it took to register those 100 wins? From Vijay Hazare to MS Dhoni? And all that built up to the 100 from the first test India played in to the latest. All the players, the captains, the selectors, the stars, the meetings, the strategies, the heartaches and encouragements...I wonder what all went into creating the 100th test win?
It will require a series of articles of deep research to shine a just light on those questions. So that will be a serialized effort from them over the next year.
India's 100
Out of those 100, 39% were registered in the last decade itself.
India wins 39 matches in the last ten years.
10 years ago, Sourav Ganguly led India for the first time, and took the team to Bangladesh first. He insisted on overseas winning performances from his team. A vision which concretized since under successive captains.
India's overseas-home reacord in the past decade, as a result, is even-stevens - 19 wins away and 20 at home out of those 39.
Many of those overseas wins have ended up as series wins as well.
Sachin Tendulkar figures in 52 of those 100 wins!
India are no more tigers at home and pussycars abroad.
Well done Indian cricket, wishing you many more victories.
Team summaries.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Unlawful Perfection
Many years ago, Australia travelled a long distance, thrusting themselves forward through oceans on muscles of steam and windsails to play cricket matches in England. The first test of the 1938 Ashes series is dear to many followers of the sport - not just in England and Australia alone, but all over the world - for the deluge of records it produced. The first and second tests were drawn, the third abandoned without a ball being bowled, and the fourth and fifth matches won by the two teams in turn, with Australia drawing first blood in the fourth. The series as a whole involved many records.
The first test at Nottingham is mainly remembered for Stan McCabe's daring revolt against the intrusions by the Englishmen, the seven centuries witnessed in the match, including two doubles, and "the highest total ever hit against the Australians" at that time. That last one was to change in the series itself.
The lords of the green meadows had plundered 658 runs off Don Bradman's spinners and pacemen alike to register a record total against the Australians by England. Eddie Paynter led the charge of the Englishmen with 216 runs. He was ably supported by Barnett, Hutton and Compton, who scored cavalier hundreds, and Leslie Ames chipping in later with a minor statement of his own in a partnership with him.
Australia, in their turn, were mostly on the mat throughout their first essay, their captain, Donald Bradman, having been consumed for a paltry 51 by Sinfield. Whatever distance they managed to keep between themselves and the floor, was the result of one man's defiance - Stan McCabe's bat refused to surrender easily - repeatedly, it tore through the English dominance to allow vital breathing space for the Australians, and kept up the resistance till Australia managed the relative respectability of 411 runs. He scored the second double hundred of the match, which incidentally was a first.
Wally Hammond asked the Don to carry on batting till at least parity was achieved.
Following on, Brown and Bradman, scored hundreds to create a new record for the number of centuries scored in one match. They completed the set of seven, in the process dragging England to accept an honorable draw.Scorecard
Neville Cardus, reporting the match, begins his recording of the series and match in this manner -
"On one of the easiest pitches ever known, England batted first and did not lose a wicket until the time of day was twenty minutes past three and the score 219. Barnett, after a fortunate period, played like a soldier of fortune; in a glorious innings he hit the Australian attack right and left, scattered the field, cut and drove with power and ease and poise. At one point fours ran across the grass nearly every over. He failed by two runs to reach a hundred before lunch and join the company of Trumper, Macartney and Bradman..."
At a later point in his description of the first day's proceedings, he goes on to say "Bradman risked playing all his spin bowlers, and Waite was badly needed to keep a length on one end. McCormick on the lifeless earth achieved a pace and accuracy which at Lord's might have caused much confusion of mind and much hopping and jumping about."
The caravan then moved on to the life of Lord's for the second test.
Lord's wore green and Cardus writes on the first day "To begin with, the wicket certainly held a little moisture used in the process of preparation."
He describes how England first palpitated in the day's argument and later went on to stage a remarkable recovery on the broad shoulders of their skipper, Wally Hammond, who doused Australia with a stunning 240. Paynter stood by him for 99 runs. Australia found themselves in not a dissimilar situation, and, for a consecutive time were rescued by a double hundred effort - this time Bill Brown matching the honors and reiterating the record set in the first test.
The next test at Manchester was consumed by bad weather without a ball being bowled. A test match cannot get more English than this.
In the fourth test played at Leeds, Cardus' first two sentences of the report are as follows "England played an outrageous innings today on an easy pitch. The ball turned frequently, but at so slow a pace for the most part that a comfortable, not to say indolent, stroke was possible and safe - or should have been safe."
Australia went on to win by five wickets, hanging on by the skin of Bradman's teeth in a low scoring thriller on an easy pitch.Score
England tore back to level the series it began so dominantly in the fifth test at The Oval. In a fitting way, the final encounter was a fight to the finish - a timeless test match.
About the first day at The Oval, where Hutton recorded 364 and England 903 runs in all, Cardus, that most celebrated of English cricket writers, says "Bradman was terribly unlucky to lose the toss again on the easiest wicket conceivable, easier even than Nottingham's."
The same Notts pitch which Neville Cardus had described at the start of the series as "one of an almost unlawful perfection."
This Week
We ran a poll on Bhajji and Mishra's performance in the first test titled Have Bhajji and Mishra scripted the epitaph of their careers?
The results are as follows:
Bhajji yes, Mishra no 5 (38%)
Mishra yes, Bhajji no 1 (7%)
Throw dem both into the dungeons! 2 (15%)
Unnu doan unnerstan cricket do you? Dem both play on! 3 (23%)
Doan bore me wid yo knee jerks 2 (15%)
As you can see, the team management was of diametrically opposite view to the majority of positive vote - Mishra it was who sat out and the experience of Bhajji was preferred for the second test.
Essentially an equal number also felt that both must play, even though they were split by the language of the two choices.
Somebody did say Cricket isn't a democracy...
Akmal Jr and Mohammed Aamer are two players who stir up the excitement. Umar Akmal is one of the better young batsman of the period to emerge onto the world stage. We await Cheteshwar Pujara's debut, and Umar Akmal will be a long running mate for him like Tendulkar-Ponting-Dravid-Lara-Inzy have been.
Meanwhile, we think Jonathan Trott, though not as young as Akmal, is as exciting a player as he to emerge onto the world cricket scene.
Md. Aamer looks a good bowling talent. Hopefully he stays away from steroids and worse.
At that age, having endured so many ailments, to return from a semi-retired frame of mind and perform the way he is, just one word - Bond! Gilt edged too, for he takes his wickets at a fair clip.Statsguru
Just 18 tests may sound too few to finalize a career strike rate excellence, but the fact that they have been spread over eight years due to injuries suggests the man's fortitude and determination in making his way back from every injury. We also know that when he plays, he rocks the opposition boat.
This lad, Kemar Roach, is just like young Malcolm Marshall was - the pace of the morning was the same in the evening. And that desire to win and the self-belief. He'll play long and interestingly provided his body bears up to the workload West Indies will impress upon him.
See the nucleus of future emerging...Aamer, Roach, Akmal...and hopefully, Pujara. Read More......
26-11-2009
A year ago. We adjourned.
We are adjourned again today.
We continue to await justice and co-operation.
Thanks Sree, and Good Fer Ya
Sri Lanka vs India 2009-10, Second Test, Day Three, Green Park, Kanpur
Scorecard
[I'm a bit behind in covering this test match, and the other two going on concurrently, due to this and that. I'll probably catch up a little later over the weekend.]
A quick situational blog here...with also a necessary vent enclosed in it.
We'd like to thank Sreesanth for many things - for putting India ahead in the game and of himself, for redirecting his rages, for the greater maturity with which he is bowling, for justifying our faith in his current bowling skills - Bala, I once again tip my hat to your judgement - ( I reiterate, Sreesanth must evolve like Taresh did ), and most importantly, to put an end to all those motivated media horns, blog bugles and various forum krill who went up in a shrill concerto over pitches in India on day one of this test match itself!
Try 666 cricket forums, the devil's forum, scan the anti-India muck written there by some "worthies", Muddack's Misinfo, and any number of motivated media agencies, blogs or forums, they were all seething with anger at the magnificience of Sehwag, Gambhir and Dravid's batting and labelled it, or hinted at, a dud pitch. Forgetting that day one pitches are generally good everywhere, that things could change over days 2, 3, 4 and 5; ignoring that Sangakkara was too defensive in his field placings and more than completly reliant on Murali the Legend and Mendis the Wizard who didn't quite live up to their billing, and that helped Indian batsmen gather runs, ignoring that the Lankan bowlers as a whole bowled poorly and Welegedara lacked support from the other side; forgetting that Sehwag applied himself completely after P&M Jayawerdenes dropped him between them, and completely ignoring the fact that India batted superbly.
They scorned India because that is the fashion of times. Their love for Lankans might be real, but looked more convenient in the bargain. It fitted into the current strategy to paint India as a cricketing villian and responsible for the demise of the game through all avenues including pitches. Idiots...just one word for such!
And India has seen fuller stadiums in this series than the empty seats staring at one from Brisbane today.
There are people who have a concept of only one kind of pitches...the kind available in their city or homeland, and with no sense of variety...or the possibility of it. The chance to bash India made them overlook fundamentals l;ike Day One.
Fellows who probably haven't laid one facting pitch from base up in their lives were punching off comments from their keyboards.
S Sreesanth O- 22 M- 4 R- 75 W- 5
29.2 to Paranavitana, gone! Poking at one that moved away from him after pitching, short of a good length, tried to push at it off the back foot, a little away from his body, gets a thick outside edge to Dhoni who takes a sharp catch, diving low to his left 82/2
33.4 to Sangakkara, bowled'im! Dragged it on, full and wide, reached for a flowing drive through the covers but ended up getting an inside edge onto his stumps 101/3
37.2 to Samaraweera, bowled him! Sreesanth hits the good length outside off again, Samaraweera attempts to, he gets a thick bottom edge on to his stumps, it was a bit wide actually and it stayed a touch low 111/4
66.6 to HAPW Jayawardene, Sreesanth gets a wicket with possibly the worst ball of the over, shortish and wide, Prasanna goes after it, nicks it to Dhoni, no repeat of the massive stand between the Jayawardenes 194/6
74.4 to Herath, what a change, gets Herath first ball, length ball angles across the batsman and takes out offstump, thats five for Sreesanth, welcome back 216/8
Source: Cricinfo
Sreesanth, with is discipline and application, has showed that there is enough in this pitch for those who want to discover it and use it.
There is enough in this game for those who want to attack after putting up a big score. Indian bowlers and MSD have shown this. You got to want to attack first...not hide your defensiveness behind sophistry.
Yeah, thanks Sree, you showed up some blokes.
With this attacking nature, you also showed up those who scorned you.
With the combined attack by India, they also showed how it is done...rather than go for registering mere meaningless record totals.
With this attack, India showed what Lanka didn't do enough in the last match and the value of Tendulkar and Gambhir's batting on Day Five of it. Lanka had everything doing for them but failed to drill it in. India fought back resolutely....and people scoffed and demeaned the efforts.
Thanks Sreesanth, this time it is you who have left a stinging slap on the cheeks of such.
We felt India needed a workhorse who could also pick a few wicketsLink - you delivered. Thnaks again for that!
Love your concentration and rechannelized anger. Keep it up!
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Friday, 20 November 2009
Lanka fail to nail down a first win
Sri Lanka vs India 2009-10, First Test, Day Five, Motera, Ahmedabad
Scorecard
A combination of Sangakkara's lack of confidence and underestimation of the opposition, Mahela Jayawerdene's distinct lack of urgency while batting in the quest of some milestone only he comprehends, and the coming together of Indian batting finally, put paid to Lanka's ambitions of registering their first test win on Indian soil. Instead, they will have to remain satisfied with their other passion - registering records - a principle espoused and entrenched into their cricketing psyche by their former skipper and team-builder, Arjuna Ranatunga.
Ranatunga believed records were necessary for a fledgeling Sri Lanka to look at itself in a more worthy way therefore paving the way for winning performances. Curiously, Ranatunga himself solicited and followed records at the expense of any chance of victory - be it through flat wickets or failure to declare at the right time and attack.
This Sri Lankan team appears to have learned those lessons well, for they didn't even suggest that they'd be going for a win in this match once they had gone ahead. Rather, they expected India to lay down and die to hand over a win on a platter without any further fight. If Welegedera wouldn't knock them over, Murali would surely consume them on a pitch where Sachin and Sehwag made the ball spin at right angles and more. And weren't India supposed to be the worst and most overrated team? At least if the GMing Yardley's suggestions and insinuations from the commentary box are to be believed, India were the meanies and lowlies.
I mean a team which came back strongly early on Day Two, knocked off the remaining Indian bats in no time at all, and were set off on the chase by the piping hot batting of TM Dilshan, then meandered into the wastelands of meaninglessness. In fact, Yardley's heartburns notwithstanding, Sachin's persistence in batting on towards the end is less meaningless than Mahela's tuk-tukking after a point in his innings. The need for him was to step on the gas and get his team into a position from which they could attack after accounting for the pitch and certain revival of Indian batting at home. Sachin, on the other hand, kept the Lankans at bay and took the match away from them...his claim to meaningless batting is less than Mahela's. What a waste of Dilshan's and the Lankan bowling efforts in the first innings!
Indian batting redeemed itself under some pressure, and rather easily in the end considering all the travails it encountered in the first essay. The pitch proved a strange one. Not sure if this is what test cricket wants. Indian bowlers will have to perform better in the matches ahead. I am shaken by Harbhajan and Mishra's bowling performances but I'll stick with both for the next test. I expect Ishant to perform better. He has to. If the pitch suggests, maybe Sreesanth could be added at the expense of a spinner.
India's batting has shifted to test match mode and now it will ne doubly difficult for Sri Lankan bowlers. I'll go on record with that. It will be bowling, better strategy and sustained aggresion which will win the series for one team or the other. Lanka continue to hold the edge in bowling, for they have capable bowlers sitting on the benches. Kulasekara and Mendis to name two. I am sure Mathews will make way for one of the two...maybe Prasada too, for Kulasekara can bat a bit as well.
Otherwise, get ready for a drawn series.
Everybody is worrying about test cricket and dwindling attendances. Most vocal of all have been the Australian ex-players, who are born with ( at least they believe so ) with such a right as to opine for one and all. And here was a crowd watching on all days despite the home team being on the backfoot almost throughout the match!...A crowd which encouraged both teams without reservations....and Yardley wanted to deny them the icing on the cake after having braved through the test match? He wanted to skip a mere 14 overs remaining, and peeved up just because Sachin was getting to another century? And a more deserved one than Mahela's creeping and crawling to his triple! Ask the Lankan spectators...they'll tell you they'd have preferred Mahela to have been a little more assertive as his innings grew. The crowd could have been gifted this one little cheap toffee for five days of support and he wanted to snatch it away. Who is pushing people away? Who is opining for others? This kind of opining is the as-per-convenience kind. And by the way, if 7 percent of Indians watch test cricket it is perhaps about 70,000 more than the 10 percent figures or such quoted by people. 7 percent of a billion and a half is distinctly larger than 15 percent of ten million or so.
But I like Bruce Yardley being there in the commentary box. He actually makes you listen because he keeps pinching you wih the odd word, suggestion or tone he employs. Can spice up dull passages of play. Ranjit Fernando long stopped pinching for he was too predictable. He isn't here but I can't say I am pining for him. Yardley has chosen to sit on one side of the boat, we have chosen to sit in a way to balance it up...that's all.
Coming back to the match, I hope Indians learn some lessons from this, their think tank works meaningfully for correct selection and plans and play in the matches ahead. And hopefully, the pitches will be with juice for all and also utilized better by the bowlers. Bowling has to work, Harbhajan and Mishra have to figure this out better. The batsmen must keep up their rediscovered test form and imrpove upon it. a good hand by Gambhir, Sachin and Laxman. Also Viru, but I'm rather miffed with him. India will be going to Kanpur looking up to improve while Lanka will have a few doubts creeping around after this test.
Kudos to Mahela Jayawerdene, Dilshan, P Jayawerdene and Welegedera. They kept India under the pump almost throughout the game.
Mumbai, to me, appears the only test which will produce a result other than a draw in this test series.
EDITED TO ADD:
I lost the wager Mr.Gavaskar, for the pitch didn't turn a shrew. It just lost interest in the proceedings instead.
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FIRST TEST ARTICLES (working back in time):
Lanka fail to nail down a first win
Gambhir wasn't jabbing and pushing at balls
I am willing to wager Mr.Gavaskar
Two Tons of Pure Unalderated Bilge
If you play with Dil, Shaan is sure to adorn you
Killing time with Cricket Stats
India's spirit, grace and genius
Anil Kumble will be missed
I reiterate, Sreesanth must evolve like Taresh did...
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Gambhir wasn't jabbing and pushing at balls
Sri Lanka vs India 2009-10, First Test, Day Five, Motera, Ahmedabad
Scorecard
The thing which stood out in a positive way, in India's play yesterday, was that Gautam Gambhir wasn't jabbing and pushing at deliveries. Neither was he tentative in moving his feet into position. The test player of the previous year had lapsed into such uncertainities. But there was a smoothness about his play in the second innings, absent till as late as the first innings of this match. Always feel, Gambhir's form issues are often a matter of the mind. Perhaps he was distracted since he scored that double...
There is no superstition to it other than mere coincidence, but it has been observed that whenever I speak well of Indian players, they exert, as a spinal reflex, to disprove me instantly. But what has to be said has to be said regardless of the consequences. Between the two, Gambhir has shown the greater application and willingness to get out of the rut; Viru, on the other hand, continues to be at the mercy of that one inevitably fatal shot which must come sooner or later. But that's the way he has played for India always. I expect, Gambhir today, to continue in the same vein.
Pressure does funny things to people's games, it does even funnier things to dodgy games: I am inclined to believe, in the manner of Nathan, that despite the pressure, Yuvraj's still dodgy game to spinners, my own optimism of ominous portends, the fifth day pitch and eleven swarming Sri Lankans, that India might yet sneak out of this one with a difficult draw.
The greater possibility is of an Indian heartache, either of sudden precipitation or a drawn out suspense. But it would be foolish to discount the Indian's ability to play three sessions of intense cricket. It could well be that at the end of the day Sri Lanka may feel shortchanged by their captain's late declaration.
For make no mistake, this is the best and final chance the Sri Lankans have of winning a match in this series. The Indian batting is working its way back, albeit in individual drips rather than a cohesive sheet of rain, into test match form and that can only complicate Lanka's quest for their first test win. For starters, Amit Mishra may want to repay the Lankans through his first EMI. He's no mug with the bat and he should be looking for an individual fifty as the first instalment.
It must be recalled that India is in the position it is in mainly because of the failure of its bowlers and average captaincy.
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
I am willing to wager Mr.Gavaskar
Sri Lanka vs India 2009-10, First Test, Day Four, Motera, Ahmedabad
Scorecard
That this docile pitch you are speaking of in your commentary stint, will somwhow wake up to be a spiteful witch when the Indians come on to bat.
No, I am not suggesting that the Indian batsmen will be unable to tame the shrew, but I have a feeling that the Lankans know how to make it act up better than India does.
Ravi, you, Siva and GMing Yardley appear to feel that Lanka might have offered India a life jacket, but it is obvious that if they have done that it is for all of India's eleven players to put on to together rather than individual vests of safety, in what the Lankans are promising will be a choppy pitchy-yawy ride. Have your sea-sickness tablets ready then, if you are certain India will not drown before needing them.
I'm looking forward to the commentary as well as India playing out this to an unlikely draw with Viru and Gambhir leading the way. I mean it...leading the way to India achieving a draw, not leading the way back to the pavilion.
Lanka have declared many many many hundred runs ahead...can't be bothered to count how many... and a little short of their 950+ record score, so India have to bat some 130-140 overs out to CTAs.
OK Viru, Gambhir, let it flow! Let's see you play at least 101 overs together and see what you can make of them then!
I shan't venture to say more, for I appear to hex the Indian team when I say so, but if Viru is there at the end of the 101st over of the innings...I'll definitely put out a batting record alert.
And the stats here will be fighting to prevail over each other. Dravid and Mahela have both scored hundreds.
UPDATE @ India 34-0, 300 behind Lanka
Russell Arnold is already into GM mode! I told you, the commentary would be interesting to listen to. And the chaps are only running singles!
Lax Siva's having to ask the poor fellow to relax! Better..give a laxative to send him off the air for a while! Someone there, mix julaab into the tea!
UPDATE India 77-0 @Tea, 257 behind Lanka
Prasanna Jayawedene was the first to show the effects of a needlessly long stint of batting - he dropped Viru in a straightforward fashion first as the ball streaked past him and the first slip, and then could have tried to take a more difficult one in front of the wicket as Murali spoun one across Viru.
He was tired and stiff. maybe the tea will revive him.
Is Russell Arnold having a cup of tea as well? Careful there!
UPDATE @ India 81-1 after Tea, Sehwag trying to hoick Herath into Pluto's orbit soon after his 51. He's a smart cookie, is our Viru. Then maybe he has the runs.....the tea cup intended for Arnold might have reached him instead!
UPDATE @ close of play India 192-2, 144 behind Lanka
Daryl Harper can pick close shaves like Zaheer in the first innings and Dravid in the second but cannot pick a more wholesome P Jayawerdene yesterday.
India in some serious kind of strife.
Dravid the magician is out and one now has Sachin followed by Yuvi and Dhoni to depend upon on the fifth day wicket to bat three full sessions. Mind you, in the first session, it will not be Ishant and Zak bowling, but Welegedera and Prasada.
Cheeka man, Fgg the dark shades and let Pujara shine through!
This precious little fella, this invaluable diamond, this prince and heir to the throne of Dravid...CoS man, stop freaking out this lad. Look at him! He comes back from a serious knee injury, and some surgery, and blasts a frikkiing unbeaten double ton! In his first innings back from a long injury and recuperation layoff!
Scorecard
What man Cheeka, how many times have we implored with you?...Bring in this brave soldier...in when he is hot or India would have made the same mistake with him as they did with Laxman...delaying his induction just a little too much.
This boy thrives under pressure...scores big against teams stronger than his and keeps his team flag flying.
Imagine if he were playing this test match...we'd still be ahead of Lanka! Imagine what kind of partnership he and Dravid would have had! They'd have broken every heart of the opposition!
Bringing this guy in could be your CoS legacy...like the brainwave that made Vishy bring in Sourav and Dravid at the right time.
Be a man Sir, Cheeka! Don't be an obstruction to the natural flow of this lad's game and destiny.
Cheteshwar Pujara
India
Full name Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara
Born January 25, 1988, Rajkot, Gujarat
Current age 21 years 297 days
Major teams India, India Green, India Under-19s, Kolkata Knight Riders, Saurashtra, Saurashtra Under-16s, Saurashtra Under-19s
Playing role Batsman
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak
Relation Father - AS Pujara, Uncle - BS Pujara
Batting and fielding averages:
Mat.........Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
First-class 40 64 10 2862 302* 53.00 11 7 19 0
List A .....29 29 6 1063 109* 46.21 1369 77.64 2 8 96 11 8 0
Twenty20 ....4 4 1 110 43* 36.66 64 171.87 0 0 14 2 2
Bowling averages....
....................Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM ..Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
First-class ........40 ...10 153 ...83 ..5 ...2/4 2/4 16.60 3.25 30.6 0 0 0
(These stats do not include the latest unbeaten double ton against Maharashtra)
It's a long time since I was such a child-like fan about anyone in cricket, just before he breaks onto the large stage. Must have been Tendulkar.....maybe Kapil Dev. Yeah, I think it was Kapil Dev, because I saw him in the Abbas Ali Baig benefit match before he broke through. I didn't see Tendulkar before he came into international cricket. Nah, it wasn't Kapil Dev, it was Azza at the Osmania University grounds when he was a U-19.
Two Tons of Pure Unalderated Bilge
Sri Lanka vs India 2009-10, First Test, Day Three, Motera, Ahmedabad
Scorecard
Having finally reported for work today after an extended leave on medical grounds, I was able to watch only the post tea session of the match. However, I caught the highlights played soon after the day's play to form an opinion on the day's play. without doubt it belonged to the Lankans yet again - Mahela Jayawerdene looks set to overhaul Brain Lara's record, P Jayawerdene is playing the role of Roshan to Mahela's Sanath and looks good for another 200 runs himself, completely enjoying the reprieve Daryl Harper presented him with; the pitch is spinning like a top....OK OK, I exaggerated there...the pitch remained static but spun the ball like a top instead.
I mean it had to be the pitch that spun the ball all across the batsmen for it couldn't have been the bowlers Harbhajan and Mishra who were doing that to the ball. Their stats reveal that both are centurions....pure unalderated bilge on a helpful pitch.
(India's two best spun-tonners on a wicket that is allowing spin)
Harbhajan Singh O- 39 M- 3 R- 151 W- 1
A Mishra O- 43 M- 6 R- 152 W- 0
Whichever way you look at it, two tons for Dilshan and Mahela with another breweing, or three tons already with a fourth and a fifth brewing...Ishant complements with the third Indian ton and there are sure to be a few more tomorrow.
I then caught Bruce Yardley exulting morosely (that's his cursory obeisance to the position of unbiased commenator) about the errors of Dhoni and the mistaken bowling by Mishra and Hatbhajan through the day.
Much as I hate to, I find, from what I saw, that I am in agreement with Yardley's barely concealed glee at India's discomfiture. But we'll swallow that for we are being kicked where it hurts and it is we who are responsible for our predicament. Two spinners on a helpful wicket, albeit a slightly slow turner, who couldn't bowl out a team of nursery kids on it, leave alone the Sri Lankan team.
And yes, it does appear that Ishant and Zak are no Welegedara and Prasada when it comes to taking wickets in the morning session.
Nearly all the commentators were moaning about the intensely unattacking play by the Indians today. Ravi Shastri was clearly experiencing a gas-bloat syndrome over the 200-odd singles given away. I think, away from the mike, he might have been able to belch out the epithets he wanted to a little more freely.
Well, if Dhoni has a well concealed plan, I hope it is one which works and he is able to make his batsmen play out 150 overs of Lankan spin on this track to save their backsides from a comprehensive hammering in their own den. That looks like the only plan here...not taking wickets but chewing Lankan time and overs while imagining, expecting, hoping that his batting order will survive a day and a half.
If India bat this out, kudos to them, however unlikely that scenario is. If Lanka wins, they deserve every bit of it because they were the resolute team applying its talent here while India was a patchwork of committment and non-committment.
Congratulations Mahela, your double ton was a top effort and well played Lanka.
India's bowling attack has been shown up completely. I cannot explain why they are the way they are.
Anybody know why?
And get this into your head India, you will have plenty of batting to do in this series for your bowling is going to be what it is proving to be. So get ready...some of the shirkers, cut the cr@p and get down to real work if you want to stop Lanka rolling all over you. yeah, and you'll have to bat for your bowlers too.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
If you play with Dil, Shaan is sure to adorn you
Sri Lanka vs India 2009-10, First Test, Day Two, Motera, Ahmedabad
Scorecard
I must begin with a brief glossary of Hindi/Urdu terms employed in the title, for those who may not know.
Dil = Heart, Passion, Courage
Shaan = Peace, Pride (similar to Fame and Glory)
Better commentators than I have delved deeply and come up with detailed explanations of the transformation of TM Dilshan into a fearsome warrior with the bat. There is little I can add to all those wonderful commentaries, but I must share with you the sense of déjà vu I am feeling. It was precisely this kind of awe that gripped me more than a decade ago when I saw, a hitherto restless personality, blossom out beyond the shackles which created that restlessness. I speak about the transformation of Sanath Jayasuriya upon promotion to the top spot in the order. Dilshan's is so strikingly similar.
But before we go on to the Dilshan mastercalss in counterdominance, we must relish the way Sri Lanka executed the quick termination of India's innings.
At close of play yesterda, it is possible that the Lankan captain would have had to draw in his dejected troops; just to remind them that even though the scoreboard blared that almost 400 runs were scored on the day, the only batsman remaining was Dravid. The tail remained, and while it could flourish with irritating waves of the bat, it also meant that the wagging could be made use of to push the Indians into quick decimation.
The morning freshness, the groundsman said yesterday, would help the bowlers willing to bend it in the morning session. Welegedara and Prasada did so yesterday before the wicket eased out for the remaining sessions of play yesterday. Even though the Lankan captain might have, while trying to lift the morale of the team, pointed out the availability of the Indian tail as a target to attack on the morning, I am certain that Welegedara had other thoughts as he lay in bed waiting for sleep to catch on.
I am sure he was reliving the morning hour when he wasted the Indian top order. I am sure he drifted off into a pleasant sleep having stashed away a plan for the coming morning.
He turned up and did exactly what he did to the other top order batsmen of India. Slanting the ball across and bringing it back just a shade. The magnificient Wall of yesterday was breached through the gate before he could embark on today's journey. he was destined to rest on yesterday's score and that well executed effort ball inner edged on to the stumps to confirm that Dravid's grand innings was over yesterday. There wasn't to be an encore today.
That score of 500 looked very distant.
Meanwhile Prasada was having his fun with Zak. Harbhajan played a couple of exquisite strokes...a cover drive stood out. What also stood out was his shortening the pitch to prevent the swing Welegedara was extracting. But it had to end and it did. Sri Lanka had, for the second morning in a row, come out running hard from the traps. India, yet again proved the slow plodders in comparison.
The 400-something was something to bowl at but will not be enough. Everybody knew that - this is a different Lankan team touring these parts - even though Jaya retired, Dilshan had replaced him in every way except being a southpaw. Thilan Samaraweera was a rock solid middle order batsman. mathews was the all rounder and nearly everyone lower down could swing the bat. This was all besides the regulars...the veterans in Snga and Jayawerdene. This is a different Lankan team in all respects...from a balanced and good attack, as we mentioned in the preview, to a balanced batting order largely familiar with Indian conditions now, and a unmuted desire to break through to their first win.
In Anil Kumble will be missed, we felt the Indian bowling had relied too heavily on Kumble in past series against Lanka. We were curious to observe how the reconstituted attack would function.
Mishra disappointed mostly. It was only in patches that he would return to the methods which earned him progress. When he wasn't bowling squat, flat and fast, he was troubling the batsman. If not that, forcing them to play him carefully. Zak played some games before close and managed to extract two wickets and lend some heart to a bowling attack which wasn't sure of itself. But that was that....tomorrow they will be slaughtered, for the batsmen at the crease are set and capable.
Dilshan appeared to be a player stifling to express himself. He would get out to 40s, 30s and the odd 50. He appeared to be unwillingly resigned to play with the lower order, pushed as he was to 7 when he was not dropped from the team. T20 offered his caged soul an escape route. He took it from there to ODIs and to tests. Soon he earned the opening slot in all forms and now there is no looking back. the Sri Lankan juggernaut has a rampaging warrior at the top...who like Sehwag can wipe away all plans and abiliti to think from the minds of the opposition. His attacking play is that terrifying at the outset.
Benumbed bowling attacks often end up taking a lot of time to regroup.
At the moment, TM Dilshan, while playing like Viru, is playing with far greater consistency and utility for Lanka in all forms of the games.
He plays the game as his instinct directs him to after detecting the flight, speed and angle of the ball and computing quickly the future flight pattern of it. He may steal a single knocked into a gap. He could step back subtly, shifting his weight backwads and unleash a stinging drive for four which would leave the fielders immobilized. he could sashay down the pitch and leave you already preparing to follow the track of the ball into the stands before the ball is even hit back. It is that degree of certainity Dilshan's batting carries these days. And then he could reverse sweep you out of nowhere, or squat with a bowed head as if paying obeisance to the bowler and the ball he bowled, only to slap the hopes right back, behind and over the keeper. Dilshan has found freedom and he is expressing himself in every which way at the top. he is telling everyone "Take a good look at me...I am more than you thought I ever was."
Today Dilshan unleashed everything he had and at one time was almost run a ball as he charged up the Lankan race to victory with a bundle of dynamite strokes.
The pitch will spin later....after lanka is done with India's bowling attack, India will have a lot of work left to do in the second innings. It is time Gambhir, Sehwag shook themselves out of their mediocrity and others lend a powerful hand as well.
There is a helluva lot of work left to do for India in this match. If India stole away with two sessions yesterday, Sri Lanka made sure it kept all three for itself today. You can bet your final Rupee, Indian or Lankan, India will have alot of batting to do and will have to find some inspiration to ignite its bowling to keep this series level or force out a win.
Monday, 16 November 2009
Killing time with Cricket Stats
This morning, on the last but one day of my extended leave, I am up early out of habit and anticipation of more runs from Dravid. India needs at least 150 runs to be safe in this match and there is only the tail to go alongside Rahul. To kill time, I was looking up the stats pages of Cricinfo.
I lay no claim to be proficient in stats and their analysis. Just some basic fan stuff. Also, none of these stats are designed to make statements against anybody...I just saw them as they emerged.
*rred players are those currently playing a test match and hence could change in status. These are stats up to Nov 16th, 2009.
The first stats I was looking up was the percentage of centuries individuals have scored in winning or drawn causes. Since centuries are not uncommon, I restricted the list to those who had scored at least 20 or more. I found some interesting results.
PLAYER - 100s - Win+Draw percentage
W Hammond - 22/22 = 100.00
G Boycott - 22/22 = 100.00
G Sobers - 25/26 = 96.15
J Langer - 22/23 = 95.65
J Miandad - 22/23 = 95.65
M Cowdrey - 21/22 = 95.45
N Harvey - 20/21 = 95.24
D Boon - 20/21 = 95.24
G Kirsten - 20/21 = 95.24
K Barrington - 19/20 = 95.00
M Waugh - 19/20 = 95.00
M Hayden - 28/30 = 93.33
D Bradman - 27/29 = 93.10
R Dravid - 25/27 = 92.59*
I ul Haq - 23/25 = 92.00
G Chappell - 22/24 = 91.67
V Richards - 22/24 = 91.67
J Kallis - 28/31 = 90.32
A d Silva - 18/20 = 90.00
R Ponting - 34/38 = 89.47
M Jayawerdene - 23/26 = 88.46*
K Sangakkara - 17/20 = 85.00*
G Gooch - 17/20 = 85.00
S Waugh - 27/32 = 84.38
S Gavaskar - 28/34 = 82.35
A Border - 22/27 = 81.48
S Tendulkar - 33/42 = 78.57*
S Chanderpaul - 15/21 = 71.43
M Azharuddin - 15/22 = 68.18
Md Yousuf - 16/24 = 66.67
BC Lara - 20/34 = 58.82
Wally Hammond and Geoff Boycott, whenever they scored a hundred, their team either won or drew the match. Their teams never lost on the backs of their hundreds.
I did not split the stats further into "only wins" and "only draws", for it is too tedious. If you do that, you are going to come up with very very interesting results. So that's a task for you all.
I suspect Boycott might have more draws to his credit than Hammond.
Notice that some great names have ended up scoring a larger percentage of their hundreds in losing causes instead. Obviously their teams failed them somewhere.
If you have the time and patience, you could examine hundreds in winning causes only etc.
Next, I examined double centuries. I checked out only those who scored 5 or more for brevity and to humour my impatience.
In the case of double hundreds and triple hundreds, I have considered only winning causes out of a player's tally of them.
K Sangakkara - 6/6 = 100.00*
D Bradman - 10/12 = 83.33
M Attapatu - 4/6 = 66.67
R Dravid - 3/5 = 60.00*
W Hammond - 4/7 = 57.14
V Sehwag - 2/5 = 40.00*
J Miandad - 2/6 = 33.33
B Lara - 1/9 = 11.11
M Jayawerdene - 1/5 = 20.00*
Look at Sanga! Every time he scored a double hundred, his team has won! How amazing!
In fact the Lankans have a grand record in this regard...Marvan Attapatu and Mahela add to Sanga's performance.
India have Dravid and Sehwag in the table with 50/50 kind of performaces.
Brian Lara, again, had to play most of his big hundreds to either save his team, or ended up on the losing side. Can you imagine what he might have done if he were part of a team like the Aussies?
Then I looked at triple hundreds.
Only three batsmen scored at least two triples or more and plenty scored once. Since three is too small a group, I had to examine all players. I was curious to see how many of these triple centuries resulted in a win for the player's team. Do they ever result in wins at all, for the common perception these days is that they are mere statistical achievements.
To think that way would be a mistake, for many of these triple hundreds could have been in attritional conditions like Hanif Mohammed's.
The list...those with at least two triple centuries or more scores first
V Sehwag - 1/2 = 50.00
D Bradman - 0/2 = 0.00
BC Lara - 0/2 = 0.00
One of Lara's was a quadruple actually.
Now those with one triple to their name. Makes an interesting read.
J Edrich - 1/1 = 100.00
L Hutton - 1/1 = 100.00
M Jayawerdene - 1/1 = 100.00
G Sobers - 1/1 = 100.00
M Hayden - 1/1 = 100.00
G Gooch - 1/1 = 100.00
These players made their only triple hundreds count....rather their teams helped them make them count in the form of wins.
The remaining players ended up on the drawing side.
A Sandham - 0/1 = 0.00
RM Cowper - 0/1 = 0.00
LG Rowe - 0/1 = 0.00
H Mohammed - 0/1 = 0.00
RB Simpson - 0/1 = 0.00
Y Khan - 0/1 = 0.00
W Hammond - 0/1 = 0.00
C Gayle - 0/1 = 0.00
S Jayasuriya - 0/1 = 0.00
I ul Haq - 0/1 = 0.00
Mark Taylor - 0/1 = 0.00
No side has ever lost a match with a triple century or more in its scorebook for the match.
Following is the list of those who scored double hundreds and yet their teams lost their respective test matches - Statsguru.
While that was fun, I doubt if there is any less tedious way to sift through individual triples, doubles or centuries to further differentiate between those scored under pressure and leading their teams to the safety of draws, and those which were not under a similar pressure, than examining each innings and read the bulletin/almanack report attached. For matches before our time that would be difficult...and, even the Almanack does not report in detail or accurately what the situation was except in Ashes test matches. Not only are the reports on the net very Anglo-centric, they are also more England centric in reporting bias in matches between England and its diaspora around the world. Perhaps West Indies is the only other team which has more detailed match reports of very old series online than others.
So you may have to find an aged individual who recalls matches, or head to the morgues of newspaper offices and examine their microfilms or actual print editions saved there.
In days gone by, newspaper groups encouraged us when we'd visit with a request to examine their archives. Today things have changed very much. From ignoring requests to commercial demands have replaced that encouragement.
India's spirit, grace and genius
The truly great are not the men of wealth, of possessions, not men who gain name and fame, but those who testify to the truth in them and refuse to compromise whatever be the cost. They are determined to do what they consider to be right. We may punish their bodies, refuse them comforts, but we cannot buy their souls, we cannot break their spirits. Whoever possesses this invulnerability of spirit even to a little extent deserves our admiration.- Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
There are a chosen few from across the realm, spanning time and diverse fields of function, who embody India's spirit, grace and genius. Rahul Dravid, the cricketer and sportsman, is also part of that pantheon which forms India's character.
We take from Dr. S Radhakrishnan's words and find that they describe Rahul Dravid rather accurately. Dravid was a lad who had a touch of class in everything he did; "he was supremely confident of his abilities," is how Sandeep Patil described him on encountering Dravid for the first time - Rahul continues to be so. He continues to do for India what he considers to be right, without compromising on the essential characteristics that define them.
We may have punished him in the past for lacking flair similar to his illustrious peers like Sachin, Sourav, Laxman or Sehwag; we may have refused him the same limelight we reserved for those who somehow shone brighter at that moment of combined brilliance; we may have flogged his fair name and dragged his legacy through mud swamps of selectorial incoherence - but we could not crush him. We could not divert him from doing what he is convinced about and therefore does best - carry India on his shoulders, across coals which burn holes in the line up of hopes, or through floods of disastrous collapses of character, to safety and reconstruction. Today he did it again, in the process registering his 27th century and crossing 11,000 runs to stand not out, just a little over three hundred runs behind Ricky Ponting. Yet again he escorted an injured India out of the line of fire, and this time with a subtle difference, to which I'll return later.
MS Dhoni called right in the morning and chose to bat first. The pitch had a bit of moisture even though it was hard, and the groundsman suggested that it would do nothing much for the spinners on the first three days even as it would assist the paceman willing to bend his back on it. The consensus among the experts was that this was a pitch to bat first on. Herath and all-rounder Mathews were preferred, so Mendis had to sit out in a match against India.
Sehwag and Gambhir are indeed carrying their LOI forms into test matches as well. In an earlier blog, we had felt their opening partnership would be crucial to dull this Sri Lankan attack which happens to be more competent than earlier visiting attacks from the region.
Welegedara was willing to make best use of the fresh pitch, and he did so in an astounding manner.
Gambhir wasn't moving well. Lack of confidence was impeding his footwork. His front foot wasn't moving forward decisively and his dragging back foot looked a desultory participant in this match. Welegedara sensed it and had one staying straight. Gambhir played for swing and therefore outside the line. The inner edge crashed into the stumps. India was on the backfoot. Within no time at all Sehwag, who began in a usual blaze, brought his bat down a fraction late while trying to play across and around his partially forward front foot. The ball rapped him and there wasn't any doubt that India was in trouble.
More strife was to follow - two beauties...one truly beautiful from Welegedara moved back from just short of good length and in the combined fashion of Fanie de Viliers and Alan Donald roared through Sachin's gate. His blind spot, discovered by those two Saffers, had been exploited once again - Welegedara was king!
Laxman followed to replace Sachin. Dhammika Prasada swung into action and from a tall height made one cut back in. Laxman, at the start of his innings, has this angled-bat-hanging-outside-the-off-stump problem. Many balls have been bowled with the intention of finding its inner edge. Enough have succeeded in ricocheting onto the stumps from there to suggest that this is an uncorrected weakness of his distinguished career. India, however, were 32-4 at this stage, with Dravid on eight at the other end and Lanka's desire to register their first test win here suddenly very possible.
We have, in the past, seen Rahul dig in in situations like these. Biding his time, chaperoning the tail, wearing the opposition down, to uncoil and strike hurtingly many overs down the line. He would play according to the situation he was presented with, stricly adhereing to the principles of playing every ball on merit, till the opposition was outmanoeuvered by his resistance.
His methods sometimes earned him cruel tags - Rahul The Wall Dravid was often called sarcastically, Rahul Well Left Dravid. Rediff
Former Australia captain Ian Chappell said Dravid needed to be told that matches were won not by hours but by runs or wickets. He was nicknamed "The Wall" for his stonewalling ability, though fans also gave him the more taunting sobriquet of Rahul "Well Left" Dravid. Rediff
There was a brief moment when the confidence in his abilities was shaken. Devendra Prabhudesai quotes Vijay Lokapally of Sportstar as writing in the 31st May 1997 edition of the magazine - "Dravid admits that he needs to play more shots and that should help him take a step closer to developing into a complete batsman" - in his biography on Rahul Dravid titled The Nice Guy Who Finished First: A Biography Of Rahul Dravid Rediff Books.
According to Prabhudesai, Dravid's detractors within the BCCI of that time complained that "he thinks too much" as an explanation for dropping him from the ODI squad.
Sandeep Patil is quoted by Prabhudesai as saying that when Rahul Dravid approached him in 1997-98 for some suggestions, "That was the only time I saw him short of confidence. I told him that I would definitely let him know if I felt he was doing something wrong."
But he worked himself through, for he wanted to.
Even though people often mixed up his one-day and test cricket play without taking cognizance of, or understanding, the conditions in which his "culprit" innings in tests and ODIs were played in. It is an image he still finds difficult to shake off...but he soldiers on regardless.
BP Bam, a sports psychologist who helped Dravid in those days, in Prabhudesai's book tells us -
"Sports Psychology is useless unless the subject believes that it can help him. Rahul has always been a very serious and committed individual, and he had the courage to implement all that we discussed at the highest level of the sport, that too against quality opposition. The real challenge in cricket is to 'live' every ball. Every ball is a unique event in itself. No two consecutive deliveries are alike. A professional approach is one wherein the batsman concentrates on every ball and handles it on merit. He needs to start from scratch for every ball being bowled to him"
How well has Rahul Dravid been a pupil, to recieve and apply this wisdom! Today, the so-called "player who could not pierce" stands a mere 345 runs behind the more flamboyant Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, who is widely percieved to have been a strokemaker of astronomical proportions, and having played a test match lesser and still unbeaten on 177 fantastic runs!
BP Bam has more to say, "I explained to him that it was relatively easier to set a field to him since he was a classical, technically correct batsman. This was in the days when he was being accused of being unable to find the gaps in one-dayers. Middling every ball was his strong point, but trying to score only through strokes would get even a class batsman like him nowhere. Rahul then adopted the policy of modifying his strokes and placing the ball into the gaps instead."
Today, he played an innings which was youthful, energetic, piercing and supremely confident of its innate ability and qualitative dominance. He ran like the proverbial hare as well, rotating the strike, never allowing the bowler to keep bowling at one bat. It was an innings which would have pleased even those who doubted his ability to pierce the field.
He played all around the wicket, along the ground and in the air to send the ball soaring over into the stands. Not one shot appeared to go to a fielder...in fact they appeared to unerringly, with an uncanny imparted sense, repeatedly pierced the carefully set fields of Kumara Sangakkara and his bowlers.
If Prasada or Welegedara bowled straight or swung it in, Rahul leaned forward on his leading leg, and neatly clipped them to the mid-wicket bountdary.
Sometimes, when the ball fell a little short, he leaned back to cut wristily, or drive through unseen gaps in the covers off the backfoot.
If Welegedara or Prasada, drew him out, to lean far forward and drive away from his body on the off side, Rahul Dravid obliged us by playing that favorite and typical shot of his, needling the ball between fielders for four. That's a shot he has often played to strife. That's a shot he has often played to off side fielders...that's a shot which might have looked clumsy then and given tongue to such calumny as he had to endure.
Even the spinners tried it, Murali and Herath, to draw him out further and further outside and forward to off stump, all the while shortening their length; Dravid played them the way he wanted to, playing that wide drive to perfection, or quickly shifting his weight back onto his backfoot, leaning back to cut through the square field, if the bowler ended up too short in trying to entice him.
There was one shot off Murali I was enthralled by today...where Dravid quickly adjusted his forward stride to lean back, shift the weight to the backfoot and play an inside-out cover drive for four through a gap between two fielders placed specifically there.
Murali had shortened the length on sensing Dravid's forward motion and made the ball drift to the middle as it spun on to the leg, clearly with the intention to bounce off the pads into the stumps, or, if the batsman tried to readjust to flick it on the leg or play defensively, the forward short leg would come into play. Dravid was in such sublime touch that he was able to read the change, adjust quickly and accurately, and play inside out cover drive off the back foot to an off spinner who is a large turner of the ball!
Fantastic stroke in a fantastic innings thus far...certainly more to come tomorrow.
The other day, Sachin declared to one and all that he'd definitely play the 2011 World Cup. The media asked him if he would like to play. No one asked Rahul Dravid if he would like to play as well. So he stepped out and played an innings, taking every opportunity to make his own case, the way it has been all along.
He advanced today early in the innings, to a flighted ball from Herath to deposit him in the long-on stands for a text-book six. Everythig about his game is textbook...everything about his demeanour is classy. The innings was such that it completely overshadowed the efforts of the Sri Lankans and two strokemasters who played in good form - Yuvraj, who scored a grand 68, unaffected by spinners and highly selective outside the off stump tp pacers, before giving it away in two minds...credit to the wily Murali for befooling him but Yuvi showed he could play...and, Dhoni, who himself played a masterful knock of 110 in almost one-day fashion by taking singles and roating the strike! He too threw it away trying to clip a rising ball from Prasada over to third man, when he had an entire tomorrow waiting.
In fact that dismissal undid all the good work India did today...a little strange by Indian standards...counterattacking with grace, commonsense and style from a position of adversity. Not often would you have seen India down 32-4 in the eighth over of the day...all the big names back in the pavilion... and end the day just 15 short of 400 for the loss of two more wickets!
Rahul Dravid was in-charge of this curious drama too. There wasn't mad and furious slavering batting smashing the ball to all parts out of pique and anger, it was a carefully constrructed confident retaliation of great science and precision which never let the Lankan's realize the ultimate dimensions it would achieve by the end.
Lanka might have let slip a chance to win their first test by allowing India to score almost 400 runs in one day! They began well and played poor cricket subsequently. But they haven't knocked themselves out of it completely - They picked wickets when they really wanted them...at the top, then Yuvi and finally Dhoni at the end.
But if Harbhajan, Zak and co. hang along with Dravid tomorrow, Lanka will have a serious task on its hand. I'll look foward to Harbhajan and Mishra bowling on Day Five to them. It will be a gripping test of skills between the good spin bowlers and better Lankan batsmen, who could be under some pressure on Day 5.
Sri Lanka vs India 2009-10, First Test, Day One, Motera, AhmedabadScorecard Read More......
