Small ball.

Pakistan

Singles - 52
Twos - 10
Threes - 0
Fours - 20
Sixes - 0

India

Singles - 38
Twos - 12
Threes - 1
Fours - 16
Sixes - 2

Yes, Pakistan ran the singles more. But they did it in the latter part of their innings, specifically when Malik and Younis and then Misbah and Younis were at the crease.

The Pakistani innings was characterized by an all or nothing approach. And very poor shot selection.

And that is something they need to ramp up on. And fast.

India, on the other hand, need to work on how the begin and end games. With the ball. The absence of Zaheer Khan on the field is showing- and not just with the ball alone.

The thinking seems non existent and there is a very real sense of playing catch up. And India needs to address that.

Sauce for the goose....

Remember this

For example, photographers applying for IPL accreditation will have to ensure that their clicked photos:

* appear as still images (and not as moving images or rapid-sequence streaming or refreshed images) and cannot be used to support a so-called on-line match-tracking report, audio or text based commentary service;

* are published in the relevant print media for editorial reporting purposes only;

* images are not used in association with any marks, names or logos of any third party (commercial or otherwise); no online use or publication or syndication of any such still photographic images is allowed without the express prior written consent of IPL.

These rules have already drawn flak from international media agencies like the Agence France Presse (AFP).

Then there was this

The Associated Press (AP) will not be covering this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament in South Africa because organizers have imposed unacceptable conditions on media outlets covering the event.

The AP and major international news organizations Reuters and Agence France-Presse sought to persuade IPL organizers to change their minds about terms and conditions imposed on media.

The News Media Coalition, an association that represents a worldwide collection of news organizations, has also tried without success to resolve the dispute.

IPL Chief Executive Lalit Modi refused to amend conditions, including one that bars media groups from supplying news and photos about IPL events to Web sites that specialize in cricket. The IPL has signed an exclusive agreement to supply news and photos about the Twenty20 tournament to one Web site.

Now, square that with this

© AFP . This image may not be reproduced without specific consent from AFP

If media outlets desire complete access to events that are technically the property of the event holders, why don't the same rules apply to disseminating the content that is copyrighted by the very same media outlets?

What does"specific consent" mean? And how different is it from the argument Modi and CA and other had forwarded when barring media outlets from freely distributing content from their events?

Huh??

"For instance, in Australia, they use the kookaburra ball and I want to cope with the extra swing and also work on my early minutes of play. I enjoy the game and I want to keep playing well rather than worry about issues like selection."

Havent they been using the Kookaburra ball for the past two seasons in the Ranji Trophy?

World T20 won't repeat mistakes of World Cup

but will make new ones.

This time around, adult tickets will range from £20 at Trent Bridge to £90 at Lord's, even though Under-16s will be able to watch the final for as little as a tenner.

Then there is the schedule - 27 games in 15 days with no allowance for the rain. Plus back to back games on all match days until the semi finals means no leeway with the playing schedule in case of disruptions.

Imagine a situation where all of India's games get rain affected.India goes through to the Super 8's without having played a game and then gets eliminated in the Super 8's on account of not haviing played a game - imagine the repercussions on ad revenues and sundry other items if this were to happen.

Then there are the hours of play - all of which are targetted for prime time audiences in the UK. But the prime time audiences in the UK will have to pay to watch the T20 World Cup, given that it is on Sky.

And what about the audiences who bring in the dough?

Sat 6
18:00 local, 17:00 GMT 4th Match, Group A - Bangladesh v India
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Wed 10
17:30 local, 16:30 GMT 12th Match, Group A - India v Ireland
Trent Bridge, Nottingham

One game begins at 12:30 AM IST on Sunday, the other at 12:00 AM IST on Thurdsay.

Nice!

PS - Thanks Q for pointing it out. And apologies to my maths teachers over the years. I am incapable of doing simple addition!

The Hours of play are 22:30 IST and 22:00 IST.

On maintaining the foreign player cap

Having missed the semi finals and finals of the IPL thanks to the Memorial Day weekend, I am in no position to comment on the whats and the wherefores of the same.

But perusing through the blogs, I gathered this much

1. The Closing ceremony sucked
2. The finals was worthy of the tournament.
3. Andrew Symonds continues to be the agent provocateur and likes bullying people.

That said, the reason for this post is this - post the IPL ( and even during it), there have been questions/discussions/queries on various media sites on the merits or lack there of of the 4 foreign player cap in the IPL.

Some see this as impinging on displaying the best talent there is available within the teams, others see this as racist.Others point to the FTP, citing that if the IPL wants its own window, it must do more to accomodate the interests of the other Boards ( and players).

I completely endorse the cap.

Whats more, I would strongly advocate reducing the number of foreign players per team as the franchises expand. For the reasons listed below

1. I had, in a previous post, alluded to the fact that in Mumbai, club cricket was slowly petering out, replaced by age group cricket. And I believe this is true for the rest of the country too. And
I had written this

And because of this, there is no "mentoring" a la club cricket wherein a 40 year old grizzled veteran of many a skirmish would be around to guide a 16 year old colt on the intricacies and vagaries of the game.

And because the "mentoring" no longer exists, there is a lot less cricketing savvy on display - kids have all the skills coaching can get you but implementing those skills and thinking about the game is a whole different story altogether.

The IPL is resolves that problem. It is the only real forum where a Manish Pandey can rub shoulders with an Anil Kumble and learn what it means to be a Test cricketer. It is also the only forum where real mentoring happens - it is in every one's interests that players perform and given that there is a requirement to field kids from the U-23 age group, the onus is on the veterans to guide them to perform at their very best.

2. Domestic cricket in India suffers because the marquee players do not participate, thus lowering the standards of play. Lower standards of play implies there is no real gauge of the talent of the player - is Cheteshwar Pujara the real deal given that he scores heavily at Rajkot and not so heavily elsewhere? Is Abhishek Nayar a journeyman cricketer or does he have it in him to step up to the next level? Does Rohit Sharma have bottle and can he construct an innings?

The intensity and the standards of play of the IPL answer a lot of these questions. While the ability to construct an innings may be up in the air, the IPL does give a window to the temperament of the player in question and his ability to perform when under the microscope. It also is the only avenue where an up and coming player is tested against an established one.

The IPL helps separate the chaff from the wheat.

3. Pre IPL there were two aspects of the game where the foreign players trumped the Indians - pre match preparation and training. Pre match preparation as in the mental aspect of the game with emphasis on how to approach the nets while batting, bowling and fielding. The training emphasized on the physical aspect of the game - the fielding drills, the game situation simulations etc.

With the legions of trainers and fitness instructors and dieticians and coaches that tail each of the IPL franchises, the gap that separates the Indians versus the foreign players is fast closing.

4. Coalescing 30 Ranji teams into 8 franchises implies that the best of the Indian talent is available for selection - the onus is on the franchises to make the smart picks. And with the ICL players returning to the fold, the options available to the franchises only increase - imagine a Stuart Binny playing for the Royally Challenged and an Ambati Rayadu for the Chargers.

5. The IPL gives unheard of players an opportunity to show case their talents - who had heard of a T. Suman till IPL 2009? And they deserve it because, having done the hard yards in the domestic scene, they merit their place in the sun.

6. The argument for the best available talent to be fielded is a tenuous one, at best. No one doubts Ricky Ponting's skill as a batsman. But is he really going to augment the KKR batting when he averaged a measly 9.75 when the IPL was played in 2008? And what about Jesse Ryder, Kevin Pieterson and Andrew Flintoff. Or Jacob Oram. No one can argue that they were amongst the best available talents there are. But how much did they really supplement their team? And wouldn't increasing the foreign player cap have meant that Sudeep Tyagi never got an opportunity to bowl. Ditto Shadab Jakati?

7. The racism charge - is laughable at best. England caps its Kolpak players and has a limit on the number of foreign players participating in County cricket.Australia's domestic season is dominated by Australians, give or take a Pom or a Dutchman. The same is true of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. South Africa has a cap too on its foreign imports. And yet, no one calls them racist.

8. There are 9 Test playing nations. Which equates to 135 players ( considering 15 players per team). Of these, the number of players equipped to play T20 cricket ( temperamentally. technique wise, or otherwise) is probably less than half. Even if allowance is made for fringe players , the number of total available foreign players wont top 100. Which equates to around 12 players per team ( given the current franchise breakup). Of those 12, having 4 players in the game amounts to a 1/3rd quota of foreign players playing per game. With expansion, the number of foreign players per team will diminish and the proportion of foreign players playing for a given team will correspondingly increase.And the numbers will remain skewed in favor of the foreign players vis a vis the Indians.

So arbitrarily increasing the number of foreign players serves no purpose at all.

Finally this - the IPL will not be accommodated in the FTP until 2011, when it comes up for review. So a window for the IPL for the next 2 years is out. Furthermore, when the FTP does come in for review, cognizance will be taken of the primacies of the English and Australian Cricket seasons. And not just because the ECB is contractually bound to host 7 Tests and 15 ODIs every year. Likewise CA ( and hence its reluctance to compromise with CSA on hosting the Boxing Day test). Add to this mix the emergence of the P20 and the SPL ( Southern Premier League) from 2010 onwards and there is just no way in hell that the ICC will accommodate a 6 week window for the IPL.

Given this, and given player availability, wouldn't it be prudent for the BCCI and IPL organizing committee to focus inwards and work on raising the standards of the Indian pool instead of focusing outwards and increasing the cap on the foreign player pool?

Sudden Death

or how I want the remaining matches to pan out

53rd match - Kolkata Knight Riders v Rajasthan Royals - KKR to win.

They have been getting their act together in the last 3-4 games and despite the losses, they have pushed the opposition hard. RR, on the other hand, look brittle with the bat in hand and their fielding effort against Dilli left a lot to be desired.

The RR loss will be deeply satisfying for me. Especially after a Mumbai girl was all ecstatic after a Mumbai loss. And because there is the possible prospect of a catfight between SRK and the Shetty babe.

54th match - Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI Punjab - KXIP to win.

The Whistle podus are in the semis even if they lose ( it will take some phenomenal batting by the other contenders and some abject batting by Dhoni's men to close the gap between the run rates). And a win against the Kinks keeps the KXIP alive for the semis. Which means more Zinta. And more Zinta hugs. And whats not to like about that?

55th match - Delhi Daredevils v Mumbai Indians - Mumbai

For obvious reasons.

56th match - Royal Challengers Bangalore v Deccan Chargers - BRC

This is the match.The sudden death encounter between the Dhakkans and the Royally Challenged.Win here and the semis beckon. Lose and its all over.

I prefer the Royally Challenged because I like Anil Kumble. And because Adam Gilchrist bitched about Sachin not shaking his hand. Does that make me anti-Aussie?

DD, KXIP, BRC and the Whistle Podus in the semis. Whistle Podus to play DD, BRC versus KXIP.

Whistle Podus and the Royally Challenged to win.

IPL2- The Battle for the Kaveri, cant come soon enough!

PS:- Just realized - I am rooting for two southern teams. Does that make me anti-north too?

The Wordsmith

The Old Batsman - a master at work!

Manjrekar-speak

Mumbai Indians, like Kolkata Knight Riders, have also disappointed their fans for the second consecutive DLF IPL season. Whereas the Mumbai Ranji team's exploits over the years in Indian cricket, have been well documented. They have won the Ranji title a record 38 times. Their latest triumph coming this year. The Mumbai Ranji team obviously do something right and critically know how to win matches. It may not be a bad idea for the Mumbai Indians bosses to pay a visit to the MCA, who happen to be in their neighbourhood and pick up a few clues on building a champion team.

"Who writes the script for this tournament"

exults Danny Morrison. And for once, it is not hyperbole.

44th match: Royal Challengers Bangalore v Chennai Super Kings at Durban - May 14, 2009
Royal Challengers Bangalore won by 2 wickets (with 2 balls remaining)
Chennai Super Kings 129 (19.4/20 ov); Royal Challengers Bangalore 132/8 (19.4/20 ov)

Scorecard | Commentary | Bulletin | Articles (3) | Photos (12)

45th match: Mumbai Indians v Rajasthan Royals at Durban - May 14, 2009
Rajasthan Royals won by 2 runs
Rajasthan Royals 145/7 (20/20 ov); Mumbai Indians 143 (19.5/20 ov)

Scorecard | Commentary | Bulletin | Articles (3) | Photos (11)

46th match: Delhi Daredevils v Kings XI Punjab at Bloemfontein - May 15, 2009
Kings XI Punjab won by 6 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
Delhi Daredevils 120/9 (20/20 ov); Kings XI Punjab 123/4 (19.1/20 ov)

Scorecard | Commentary | Bulletin | Articles (3) | Photos (12)

47th match: Chennai Super Kings v Mumbai Indians at Port Elizabeth - May 16, 2009
Chennai Super Kings won by 7 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
Mumbai Indians 147/5 (20/20 ov); Chennai Super Kings 151/3 (19.1/20 ov)

Scorecard | Commentary | Bulletin | Articles (2)

48th match: Deccan Chargers v Kolkata Knight Riders at Johannesburg - May 16, 2009
Deccan Chargers won by 6 wickets (with 0 balls remaining)
Kolkata Knight Riders 160/5 (20/20 ov); Deccan Chargers 166/4 (20/20 ov)

Scorecard | Commentary | Bulletin | Articles (4) | Photos (15)

and now, this

19.6

Pathan to Harris, 2 runs, Punjab have won this. Fulltoss on off stump, Harris crashes it through the off side, Lee fields at sweeper-cover, there is a fumble that allows them the second. Jaskaran Singh wants the third, but Harris is so disappointed he is not even looking. Jaskaran would have had a fair shot at the third run that could have tied the game. This still would have been a run-out in all possibility because the throw was on target, but Harris should have run the third. Even Sanga, the keeper, can't believe it

Last ball coming up, four required, my money is on a slower ball

All this, in the last 4 days. After a damp first week, who would have thunk?

Correct Call?

13.1

Yuvraj Singh to Symonds, OUT, a lovely stumping, what recovery from Sangakkara. Lovely bowling to begin with, drawing Symonds out, turning it across Symonds, Sanga doesn't collect it cleanly, but gets it on the rebound, falling down at the same time, and whips the bails off. Replays show he had flicked one bail off while falling down, and he didn't have the ball in his hand then. The third umpire has given it, the rules say if only one bail is off, you can remove the second bail and get the stumping

A Symonds st Sangakkara b Yuvraj Singh 25 (25b 1x4 0x6) SR: 100.00

1. Wicket put down
(a) The wicket is put down if a bail is completely removed from the top of the stumps, or a stump is struck out of the ground by
(i) the ball.
(ii) the striker's bat, whether he is holding it or has let go of it.
(iii) the striker's person or by any part of his clothing or equipment becoming detached from his person.
(iv) a fielder, with his hand or arm, providing that the ball is held in the hand or hands so used, or in the hand of the arm so used.
The wicket is also put down if a fielder pulls a stump out of the ground in the same manner.

(b) The disturbance of a bail, whether temporary or not, shall not constitute its complete removal from the top of the stumps, but if a bail in falling lodges between two of the stumps this shall be regarded as complete removal.

2. One bail off
If one bail is off, it shall be sufficient for the purpose of putting the wicket down to remove the remaining bail, or to strike or pull any of the three stumps out of the ground, in any of the ways stated in 1 above.

--

Problem is, the rule does not talk of the mitigating circumstances under which the bail is dislodged. I was always under the impression that if the bail(s) is(are) dislodged by the fielder, it is imperative to remove the stump completely out of the ground.

Apparently not!

Get it

while stocks last!

Tension free cricket

19.1	Bravo to Dhoni, FOUR, what a way to finish! Dhoni disdainfully drives the full ball over mid-on for four to seal a seven-wicket win for Chennai and that seals Mumbai's exit from the 2009 IPL

And with that, Mumbai's 2009 IPL campaign is over. No more waking up at 5:30 AM, no more donning the team colors, no more sitting in the same position so as not to jinx the team even though the legs cramp, no more forays into testing bladder control, no more praying to an assortment of gods, no more finger biting, no more palpitations, no more defending Mumbai, no more cursing Mumbai, no more defending Tendulkar, no more cursing Tendulkar, no more"what could have beens", no more"what ifs", no more to all that.

No more caring. Period.

Now that the emotional investment is no longer there, I can kick back, relax and watch the cricket.

Whoever wins, whoever loses, I could care less.

No tension!

For Mumbai, just one question. The same one as the last season. Where is the bottle in crunch situations? Where is the khadoos cricket that is the hallmark of the city? Why are we so mentally brittle?

The Karachi Sound Machine

If the IPl is a joke, why bother?.

If it is not, can you substaniate the innuendo about match fixing?.

If not, what price zipping that lip?

Excuse me Mr Modi

but here is a little something to jog your memory

Jaipur: The IPL on Friday took to task the captains of Kolkata Knight Riders, Sourav Ganguly, and Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, for breaching the ICC Rules and Code of Conduct.

Ganguly has been charged under 1.3 (showing dissent at an umpire’s decision) and Warne under 1.7 (public criticism of, or inappropriate comment on a match-related incident or match official) in the course of the match and after the match at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium here on Thursday. Both have been fined 10 per cent of their match fees.

Now, in the just concluded Mumbai Rajasthan match, there happened this little incident

17.2 Patel to Nayar, 2 runs, low full toss outside off, bends low and drags it to deep midwicket, poor fielding, or so it seemed, Smith throws it straight into the umpire and they steal another single, it's all allowed

Following this incident, Shane Warne was visibly querying the batting team about fair play and fair play points and such like, a clear violation of 1.7 (public criticism of, or inappropriate comment on a match-related incident or match official).

So my question to you is, will any action be taken? And if it is, will cognizance be taken of the fact that this is a repeat offense?

Or are we to assume that given your ties to Rajasthan, the Rajasthan players ( and specifically her captain) are above reproach?

It aint over yet!

Rally on, Mumbai Indians!!