Shashank Manohar is talking....

gulp... responsibility.

Here is a guy who thought nothing of preparing a green top at Nagpur in the marquee series against Australia in 2004.

The only motivation for doing so was that he was aligned with the group opposed to the then BCCI President.

The same guy, a year later, was responsible for preparing a shirt front in the Test against England at Nagpur.

This about face was as his group had won the BCCI elections defeating the said President.

Of course, he was aided and abetted in this by his lackey Kishore Pradhan.

For a guy who uses his position of influence to play out his petty politics, to the detriment of Indian cricket, its just rich he be speaking of responsibility.

The team performance is not "pathetic" Mr. Manohar, you are.

Doh!!

so much for the Kenyans beating the Poms!!!!

Nice little cat and mouse..

Oz 377/6
SA 213/1 in 31 overs..

What gives?

Watch out for the Kenyans

Over at St.Lucia, a cracker in the making.

Wont be too surprised if Kenya trip up the Poms.

Heh!!

"The BCCI president normally does not interfere in the working of the selection committee, now he will definitely interact with the selection committee and see what steps need to be taken. It's a serious jolt," he said.

I can just imagine this scene at Krishi Bhavan or whatever Bhavan the Agriculture Ministry sits-

Agriculture Secretary to Sharad Pawar - " Sir, there have been reports of farmer suicides. Grain production is on the decline. There is a shortage of onions.."

Sharad Pawar - "Hang on now...I am working with the selectors finalizing the U-15 second XIs".

heh!!

Here’s a thought

Three questions on team building...

What do we want?

Why do we want?

How do we go about?

Eg:

What we want? All rounders

Why we want?

1. Gives us options.

2. Allows greater depth and flexibility.

How we want to go about it?

1. Work on fielding skills. Specialists with superior fielding skills give us options.
2. Leverage the bowling skills of Sehwag and Yuvraj. Instead of getting them to bowl once every 20 matches or so, get them to bowl a couple of overs every game – in different match situations.
3. Identify talent and groom them. Irfan Pathan needs game time. Abhishek Nayar is a prospect.

Your ideas…?

(PS:- Thanks Chandan for getting me thinking along these lines ).

Update :- The purpose of the exercise is to define the shape of our cricket team and possibly the support structure we would like to see.

For this, first we identify the need, then we justify the need and then we define the implementation of that need.

So, if we say - we need greentops then 1. why do we need greentops? What is the purpose that they serve? and lastly how do we go about with implementing this?

The whole purpose of the exercise is that the net is a wonderful thing - everyone has ideas on different facets of the game. If we could collate those ideas and debate on the merits/demerits of the same, we will have a much better idea of what it is that we want to see the next time our team steps out to play :)

Brilliant

this

Funny man, Mr Yadav is..

'Product endorsements and money are governing our players. Even villagers like me can play better than our team,' he told IANS after giving a lecture here on Indian Railways to students of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US.

Batting masterclass eh, Damien?

Flat wicket, small ground, fast outfield.. Cross batted heaves get you full value for money. Batters can hit through and across the line without fear.

Bowlers are canon fodder, fielders are spectators..

Batting masterclass indeed.

All apologies!!!

To all the readers of this blog - I am profoundly sorry.

I have been banging on for a while now about how India was not good enough to get past the Super 8s - I was wrong.

No great surprises in the result ; just a little disappointment in how easy we made it for the Lankans.

People more knowledgeable than I will dissect this game and this campaign and there will be post mortems. Good luck to them.

This result was always on the cards - if only we had paid attention to the trends.

As far as I go, this defeat marks closure.

Now to begin work on the 2011 campaign.

Cheers,

Homer

The fat lady..

has not yet sung.. As I type this, India has 19 overs to go and 4 wickets in hand. and the small amount of 129 runs to get.

Maybe we will get the runs, more likely not.. But can we make the Lankans sweat a little atleast? Target to play out the 50 overs- that should get the Lankans in a lather.

If my World Cup is going to end in tears, I will bloody well make you earn your win as well.. And even if my World Cup is going swimmingly, I will still make you cry!!!

Please God...

No purges!!! No wholesale changes to the squad!!! No arm twisting by the BCCI on the contracts issue!!! And no processions, effigy burnings, sloganeering and self righteous indignation !!!

Rejoice!!!!!

The four-nations tournament also features teams from hosts Australia, India and New Zealand, with Brisbane hosting all matches.

Another opportunity for us to test the new kids!!!

Catch 22!

India beats Sri Lanka - match fixing whispers get louder !!!
India loses to Sri Lanka - global cricketing finances in jeopardy!!

Pressure

Think back to the New Zealand England game. New Zealand played the pressure game beautifully - can India match that effort?

Game on

43/2 - both openers back in the hut. Runrate 3.9 Asking rate 5.43.

PS: First Leverock, then Jones, now Murali - what is it with Indian wickets falling and wild celebrations triggering?

Uh Oh - Sachin gone!!!!

Muthiah Muralidharan

You little beauty!!!!!

WICKET! Ganguly c Muralitharan b Vaas 7 (43-2) What a catch by Murali! Ganguly, who was struggling with his timing, tries to whip Vaas onto the leg-side, but gets a huge leading edge towards mid-off. Murali hares after it, reaches out and takes a fantastic catch over his shoulder. A very big wicket, but then India's top order hardly fits any other description, does it?

Will the real Rahul Dravid please stand up?

Why does it take ants in your pants for you to display the leadership you have shown today?

Looking ahead

India’s prospects of progressing past the Super 8s in the World Cup look bleak. Sri Lanka look to be a formidable opponent and India’s out-cricket is not up to scratch.

Irrespective of how much India progresses in this World Cup – there are some pressing questions that will need answers immediately following this campaign.

Right off the bat, let me say this – Chappell must stay on as coach.

I know that I am contradicting myself, but there is a reason for this. Two reasons actually...

1. India has not been actively pursuing various options for the coaching role. Post the World Cup and post the tragedy that befell Bob Woolmer, I have my reservations on how many people will volunteer for the job- whatever the remuneration.
2. More importantly, Chappell should complete what he started. He needs to, and we need him to.

In the post World Cup scenario, depending on how deep India goes, the general levels of interest will either be heightened or lowered. If the expectations are low, we have a clean slate to work with. If the expectations are high, there will be a greater buy in from the skeptics (myself included) on the direction that we want to go.

(For the record, let me state that I would rather India not win tomorrow. Not because it heightens the hype, but because it vindicates everything that is wrong with Indian cricket.

We are a team cobbled up together with no plan or purpose. A team that is right off the charts in “brand” recognition not one that will form the bedrock of our future, and definitely not one that is playing good cricket).

India has two hectic seasons ahead, starting with the tour to Bangladesh in the middle of May and culminating with the away tour to Sri Lanka in 2008.

Crib as much as I may about the workload on the players this entails, there is a silver lining to this very dark cloud.

Between now and the end of the Australia tour mid February next year, India plays around 13 tests and 30 odd ODIs ( not counting the 20/20 thrash fest).

This gives us those many opportunities to get answers for the following

Test Cricket

1. Identify and establish players who will replace the greatest middle order India has ever had thus far.

Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly and VVS Laxman will not be around for more than a couple of seasons – 4 if we want to stretch it ( although given the demands of the game, 4 seasons will be really stretching it).

It is therefore imperative for us to start identifying and grooming those prospects who will take over the middle order slots in the not so distant future.

2. Identify a leg spinner to take over the mantle from Kumble

Anil Kumble will retire from International cricket in the next two years. He knows it, we know it. And when he does retire, he will leave a hole bigger than the middle order combined.

It is necessary therefore, to at least start exploring the various options available on hand.

It is also necessary for us to put a succession plan in place.

3. Get a bowling coach pronto

Never in India’s history have we sat on such a huge pool of fast bowling talents. Consider these names –

Zaheer Khan, S.Sreesanth, Ajit Agarkar, Munaf Patel, Irfan Pathan, L.Balaji, Ranadeb Bose, Ashish Nehra, VRV Singh, R.P Singh, Y. Mahesh, Abid Nabi, Ishant Sharma amongst others.

Some established India hands, others waiting in the wings – all of whom needing direction.

We will be doing ourselves a disservice if we deny these fine young players the services of a bowling coach.

4. Identify a left arm spinning option

India’s bug bear when batting; its weak link while bowling.

5. Define Goals after every series/every season

What are we? Where are we? What are our stated goals? How close are we to our stated goals? Where are the gaps? How do we fill these gaps?

With the batsmen, we need to throw them in the deep end at the earliest. With the bowlers, we will need to tread with caution- especially the spinners.

Throw them in too early, and they may wilt. Throw them in too late, and they will be jaded. The trick will lie in identifying, grooming and nurturing our long term spin options. Ditto the pace bowlers.

One Day Cricket

1. Define the contours of our cricket team

Before the World Cup, we lurched from one philosophy to another without quite getting the balance right. The 30 odd games that are lined up will give us 30 unique opportunities to define the team philosophy.

2. A new man at the helm of affairs

Rahul Dravid, even if he holds aloft the World Cup, must go as ODI captain.

I will vote for Md.Kaif, but I may be in a majority of 1.

3. Identify and groom the players based on team philosophy

One Day cricket allows for greater latitude with team selection because it imposes no restrictions on skills. Bits and pieces players are more the norm than specialists.

Given this, and having identified the team philosophy, it is incumbent on us to identify and groom players- with clear understanding of their role in the team.

Since the number of games played this season are significant, there is actually an opportunity for us to create a pool of 20 odd players who, depending on what they bring to the plate, can be rotated in an out of the team to grant them more exposure.

4. Define Goals after every series/every season

What are we? Where are we? What are our stated goals? How close are we to our stated goals? Where are the gaps? How do we fill these gaps?

India can also explore the “A” tour concept with greater rigor to create a wider pool – and to assess the talent on hand.

If India is eliminated from the World Cup today, we have between now and May 10^th to introspect and identify our shortcomings, and plan for the future.

If we procrastinate, these questions will come and bite us hard. Real hard. And could potentially set us back a few years.

I sincerely believe that we are on the cusp of cricketing greatness. Whether we remain a mediocre team given to a few spectacular victories or a great team whose hallmark is the consistency and high levels with which they play the game, is entirely in our hands.

Here are my two cents … Chime in with yours!

Not just the fans!

Either way, it should serve as a wake-up call to those who run cricket, and those who profess passion for it. If a game starts taking lives, there is something sickeningly wrong with it. But this is not really about Woolmer. We didn't need someone to die to awaken us to a problem. The signs have always been there, it's just that most of us have found it expedient to ignore them. Commodification has been chipping away at the soul of cricket for years, and now the game is the danger of losing its head.

writes Sambit Bal in CricInfo.

So what of this -

Dodging the bouncers

Brian Viner: Depression is no respecter of wealth, athleticism, fame and fabulous talent

Dark shadows cast by the summer game

No hiding place

Bitter-sweet sympathy

We rejoice in Test cricket - because it is a test of skill and mental endurance over the space of 5 days.
We rejoice too, in One Day cricket - because it is a test of skill and mental endurance over a compressed time frame.

So I ask you - is the game itself at fault - because of the stresses it places on an individual - day in and day out - over the span of their careers?

and what of this - and this?

Where does the buck stop with regards to the amount of games played in a year? Who is accountable for this?

The Media needs to sell their stuff. The "fans" want their cheap thrills. The Cricket Boards want their money.

So, where do we get off? When does this Do Paise ka Tamasha end?

Farwell to a Colossus.

The first time I saw him, Jonty Rhodes' was doing his Superman impression. His ambling between the wickets was to become a defining trait of the man throughout his cricketing career.

His other traits – a remarkable temperament allied with the ability to absorb pressure and play like a cricketing god were on display in that semifinal against New Zealand.

The World Cup of 1992 was to define facets of the man that were to become his leitmotif.

Between then and now, he played many a defining innings and plenty of match winning ones.

Who can forget this innings? Or this one?

Whenever Pakistan needed him – to play the pressure game or change the tempo of the game – he delivered.

For me, his calming presence in the middle when everything around him was going up in smoke, the almost unbelievable amount of time he had to play his shots, his laid back attitude in direct contrast to some of his team mates are some of the qualities that made him a special player and a special person.

So it was a particularly poignant moment for me today when this happened –

27.4 Mupariwa to Inzamam-ul-Haq, OUT, fine catch, a very fine catch to end a brilliant batsman's one-day career. Inzamam trying to launch another six over long-on but got an outside edge behind Williams' head at mid-off who jogged back and took it in front of his nose. Fine catch Inzamam-ul-Haq c Williams b Mupariwa 37 (35b 2x4 3x6) SR: 105.71 And he gets a big standing ovation; each Zimbabwe player jogs over to shake his hand. And as he raises his bat, his Pakistan side all come down to greet their captain who, by now, is in tears. He takes his helmet off, acknowledges the crowd while wiping the tears dry. And 15 years ago today, Inzamam scored 60 off 37 balls to help Pakistan win the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand

His absence from the ODI scene is a void that will take a while to fill.

Goodbye Inzamam. And thanks for the memories

Oh No!!!!

The good souls at the CAB will not be able to hold their Platinum Jubilee celebrations, three years after the said event, thanks to those pesky Bangladeshis!!

In other news, the DDCA, that great institution encompassing all that is good and great with Indian cricket, plans to hold its own Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Update :-

Nimbus Communications, the telecast rights holder for cricket matches in India for five years, has proposed a one-third reduction in the fee by $180 million.
........

Sources say that lowering of rights fee is ‘one’ of the suggestions made to the board. “Increasing the number of games to be played in India is another option before BCCI. The board could also try a mix of both the options,” a source close to the development said.

Now why would those pests over at Nimbus want to deny the good folk at the BCCI all that money? Dont they realize that without the extra money, the BCCI will go comatose- after all, how else will the honchos at the BCCI justify their power trips ?

A win win option will be to increase the number of games played in India - after all, those overpaid cricketers of ours need to justify their earnings.

related posts -

WTF?
The absurdity of it all..
As if there was not enough cricket already..
India- Bangladesh itinerary announced

Heh!!!

Pakistan Cricket Board - Official website

Sri Lanka Cricket Board - Official Website

Bangladesh Cricket Board - Official Website

Cricket Control Board of Maldives - Official Website

Bhutan Cricket Council Board - Official Website

HongKong Cricket Associaltion - Official Website

Board of Control for Cricket in India - ?

Marvelous

This post by Shakester.

Dear ICC

Pray why invite the Associates to the World Cup in the first place?

And now that they are here, is it too much to ask for the same standards of umpiring for them as for the "established" cricketing nations?

Thanks,

Homer

Doing the hard yards..

A charged up India powers its way past 400. Now they are pumped up on the field.

So here's a thought - Why does it take adverse reaction back home for the players to play with the intensity they are exhibiting right now?

And just how much justice are they doing to their collective talents if it requires sloganeering mobs to goad them to play at the levels they are capable of?

Good on you Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka A players to be contracted

Hope someone at the BCCI is listening.

Dwayne Leverock - You BEAUTY!!!

Malachi Jones to Uthappa, out Caught by Leverock!! good length delivery outside the off stump, Uthappa opens the face of the bat and looks to run it down, gets it wide of the first slip, hang on, a huge figure with a huge palm comes in between and plucks it by diving full length to his right, what a catch!!! Malachi Jones has struck with his first ever World Cup ball!!! Uthappa is gone and India off to a bad start, look at the celebrations, hey somebody go and tell the Bermudans that there are still 9 more wickets to be taken R Uthappa c D Leverock b M Jones 3(4) 4s-0 6s-0

and again

Jones to Uthappa, OUT, OMG! what a catch by Dwayne Levorock! And what wild celebrations! Let no body say anymore that a fat man can't jump! Uthappa has a nervous poke, away from the body, at a length-delivery outside off stump. It flew to the right of Leverock hurled himself - hard to visualise, I am not lying but that's what happened- to his right and plucked it single-handed. And the celebrations followed. He ran off to nowhere in particular, changed directions and again went on a jig. The players mobbed him, few other went down in heap in midwicket in celebration. All over each other. Bermuda are overjoyed. The bowler is the bottom of that heap and hold on he is crying. Tears of joy! What a start!

And how about those celebrations !!!!

Bermuda may not celebrate anything more today but by Jove, do they know how to celebrate :)

And what of the Media Dileep ?

Not the PCB and all their internal wranglings, not the Pakistani players and their out of control egos, not the support staff with their own axes to grind, not the shenanigans that is the hallmark of Pakistan cricket and most definitely not the media - the biggest contributor to Bob Woolmer's sad demise was the passionate fan.

You write " In such a climate, it should surprise no one when the pressure proves too much to take".

So let me ask you this - who contributes to creating that climate?

Have you or your brethren in the Media ever paused to navel-gaze; just to retrospect on how much you as a whole are culpable in fanning the flames?

It is not I nor any other "passionate" fan who devotes reams of paper and TV footage on 10 idiots burning an effigy and exhibiting it as a display of "peoples outpouring of emotion".

It is not I nor any other "passionate" fan who, while moderating a discussion threatens " The players know what is in store for them if they bow out of the World Cup".

It is not I nor any other "passionate" fan who acts as an agent provocateur by deliberately misquoting people.

It is not I nor any other "passionate" fan who asks of journalists to be opinionators instead of reporters of the news.

It is not I nor any other "passionate" fan who forces the media to aggressively pursue sound bytes because that bumps your TRP. Did you pause to watch the yobo over at Headlines Today who has been trying his darnedest to get Sir Richard Hadlee to state India is better than New Zealand?

It is not I nor any "passionate" fan who asks of the media to parade buxom women with their bosoms hanging out on TV and Print. Mandira Bedi did not happen because of the fans, she happened because of your need for TRP.

It is not I nor any "passionate" fan thats asks of your esteemed company to shift locations from England to India because that is where the "passionate" fans are - fans who make all the difference between being in the red and a bumper year.

It is not I nor any "passionate" fans who asks for "astrological predictions" of the "Men in Blue" nor do we ask for "tarot card readings" or "numerological signs" on how the team performs.

It is not I nor any "passionate" fans who label an India Pakistan encounter "Parakram" or an India Australia game "Aakhri Sangharsh" or some such.

It is you and your brethren in the media who hype the team. It is you and your brethren in the media who provoke. It is you and your brethren in the media who instigate.

It is you and your brethren in the media who contribute hugely to the climate that creates the pressure cooker situation that exists today in modern day cricket.

Yes, the fans have their share of idiots. But your ilk is not exempt either.

By giving 10 odd idiots their 15 minutes of fame, you encourage other idiots to join the bandwagon.

And you don't do it because of any altruistic reasons either - you do it because that gets you more eyeballs and more eyeballs translates to more money.

Bob Woolmer was a good man, a passionate man. He understood the passion with which people watched and played the game of cricket on the sub continent- his question answer sessions on his website are proof. He believed in his job and gave it his all.

So please take this self righteous indignation some place else - Bob Woolmer would not have approved.

Bob Woolmer

1948 -2007

R I P

Obits - Zainub, Kartikeya, Omar, Ryan Patrick, Vinod, Amit, Brian, Vishnu,Muhammad Asim

Mumbai beats Delhi.

Life is good

Does India deserve to advance in the WC?

All sorts of permutations and combinations are being worked up now to figure out India's path to progress in the World Cup.

Thing is - Is India worthy of being in the next round in the World Cup?

For long time followers of the Indian team, the loss against Bangladesh should not come as any surprise. If anything is surprising, it is the progress Bangladesh has made in the past year and a half. India's performance was par for course.

And the rot begins at the top.

I called Rahul' captaincy whimsical - Kartikeya articulated it more clearly when he called it "bloodyminded - yes, tending towards the recklessly aggressive option rather than the more rational reason ".

And it is that reckless aggression that is costing India games.

Again, it is not so much about winning or losing- but the approach that a team brings to the game that matters. By being recklessly aggressive bordering on the irrational - Dravid is putting India on the back foot right off the blocks.

Any team, going into a game, assesses its strengths and weaknesses, the opponents strengths and weaknesses, and plans accordingly.

Additionally, fall back plans are made to account for any deviation or shortcomings in Plan A. Watching Rahul captain, both when India is batting or bowling, there is the marked impression that he starts off with Plan W and sticks to it no matter what - match situation be dammed.

Then there is the noticeable decline in batting standards when Team India is faced with wickets not so conducive to stroke play. And this is not a new phenomenon either.

This trend has been on view for the last two years or so. So what does it say of our back room planning that we have neither identified or taken any corrective action to arrest this slide?

The teams application is suspect, as is its ability to adapt. Hitting the road running is a concept alien to Team India. As is the need for sustaining momentum.

Situational awareness is non existent.The Indian team has had a pretty ordinary record coming back from a break into international cricket

If "the best lessons have been when we've done badly." then what does it say of the think tank's ability to identify the right lessons and the team's ability to assimilate and improve upon those lessons?

Prem touches upon Chappell's comments about India getting all the brand names in the WC team. Rahul, in an interview in the not so distant past, spoke of how brand recognition was a factor in team selection.

Given India's proclivity to brand names, we get saddled by a team that is big on brand value but not so flash in purely cricketing terms.

If,and it is a big if, India advances to the next round, a lot of the problems facing Team India will get papered over.

And will bite us at a later stage, leading to irrational outpourings of emotion by all and sundry.

Given all of this, does India really deserve to get into the Super 8s?