England versus the West Indies. Day 2. Post lunch session.
And what do they play on the public address ( between overs)... this!
Proof positive that India does rule the cricketing world!
Saturday, March 07, 2009
What the....
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Not dissent. Not over appealing either
| 12.3 | Butler to Sehwag, OUT, shout for a catch behind decision and it's been given. Sehwag shakes his head as he walks off. Not happy at all. It cut in towards the middle stump from short of length, Sehwag was on the hop, trying to work the ball to the on side and the ball clipped the flap of the pad. Did it hit the bat as well? Sehwag doesn't think. Anyway that's that. Gautam has walked in.HOT spot says there was no bat involved in that. |
V Sehwag c  McGlashan b Butler 54 (36b 9x4 1x6) SR: 150.00 |
Does anyone know what constitutes excessive appealing? And dissent? And what about the umpiring standards in New Zealand?
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Uncle JRod
echoes the feelings of the cricketing world torn by the recent events in Pakistan. Brilliant read!
On why the IPL must be played this year
with or without foreign participation.
Because it is the clearest statement yet that in India, cricket matters.
Because it torpedoes the precedent being set that India is an unsafe country to play cricket.
Because if teams use the IPL precedent to stop touring India, cricket in India can go one of two ways - we reinforce our grass roots, pay more attention to domestic cricket and do what South Africa did in the apartheid years. Or let cricket wither and die.
Because it puts paid the notion that India and Pakistan are an hyphenated relationship.
Because the IPL is the most potent symbol of what can be achieved if a few Indians decide to put their minds to it. An event that came out of nothing, an idea brought to fruition in the space of 6 months, a celebration of the game and a celebration of the sheer logistics involved.
Because this is our way of life. And it is not up for compromise.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
An "A" for effort!
To stretch a game from 45/0 in 4 to the last ball of the last over calls for effort.
And thats all a fan can ask for.
India 94/5 (13.2/20 ov)
MS Dhoni 7(16)*
Last match, the one which India got pilloried for its approach, India were 101/6 at the same stage.
So, the "change in approach" has not exactly paid dividends, has it?
Look Mama, the "new approach actually worked - we lost 2 less wickets than the last time.. Joy.. And never mind the fact that they scored 13 less runs. And never mind Ravi Shastri's gyaan either = " The new batsmen dont have enough time in the final overs to adjust to the conditions".
But hey, its the new approach.. And love the outfit too.. Sure someone at Nike has his/her resignation ready..
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
In defence of India's batting in the first T20
MS Dhoni alluded to it in the post toss interview. The commentators kept mentioning all through the game. The shape of the ground was the subject of much discussion before, during and after the first T20.
And I believe India got sucked in by it.
How does one pace an innings on a ground where the only run making opportunities are a single, a four and a six?
Couple that with a slight two paced nature of the wicket and fairly pronounced up and down bounce, and what constitutes a good total?
Martin Crowe kept referring to a lack of structure in the Indian batting innings. Dhoni said
"One of the key things was to go into the middle with a blank mind, without a target," Dhoni said. "We wanted to play according to the merit of the ball, it was not a conscious effort to go after the bowlers and hit those big sixes."but when a very good shot gets you a single and when the difference between a four and a six is whether the ball can be played uppishly, even if mistimed, how exactly does the batsman structure or pace his innings?
And coming to the dismissals themselves, except for Rohit Sharma and Harbhajan Singh, none of the other batsmen fell to premeditated shots.
Gambhir, Sehwag and Dhoni were done by the bounce, Yusuf Pathan fell to Oram's genius, Yuvraj was out thought by Vettori.
Irfan's was a soft dismissal.
Having said all that, India still managed 162. And they got the kind of start from their bowlers that teams can only dream of. A Guptill decision here and a little more bottle there and it would have been New Zealand bemoaning their inability to close matches ( coming on the heels of the Chappell Hadlee Trophy).
India find a way...
Contrary to what the MS Dhoni says, it was the Indian bowlers who lost the plot today. Not in a big way. But enough to cost India the first T20.
New Zealand outplayed India in the big moments - every time the game was poised to go either ways, it was India who lost their nerve while New Zealand held theirs.
And there were some mental mistakes too - Dhoni standing back to Irfan Pathan when bowling to Taylor while standing up when McCullam was at the crease, bowling Yuvi late in the game on a small ground, managing the bowling rotation - all contributed to India losing the plot.
From a batting stand point, I am pretty happy with the game plan - alternate right and left handers with a license to attack.
Kudos to New Zealand then for winning the first T20. For the next game, I would like to see Praveen Kumar ahead of Irfan Pathan - only because if the ball swings, Kumar is a better bet than Pathan.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Grinding them out
574/5 in 202 overs.
| BAW Mendis | 55 | 13 | 135 | 1 | 2.45 | (3nb, 1w) | |
| M Muralitharan | 60 | 12 | 165 | 1 | 2.75 |
3 days between the two tests. 90 more overs before the end of this test.
When it comes to pacing an innings and blunting their opponents, Pakistan seem to be doing it nicely at the moment.
If, as expected, Murali and Mendis bowl half of tomorrow's overs, they would have effectively bowled around 80 overs each, which, even for a spinner, is a substantial workload. And with 3 days to go for the next test, the recuperation time is minimal. Unlike Danish Kaneria, who has had two days already in the shed and the prospect of one more day to do the same.
Sri Lanka's mistake, if it may be called that, was not that they posted 600 plus. But that they posted it too quickly. If a team can sustain 4+ runs an over for the entire duration of their innings, that in itself is a warning sign. On hindsight, Sri Lanka would have been better off batting on - only because the shoe would have been on the other foot and it would have been the Pakistani bowlers complaining of the workload.
Also, from a team perspective, Pakistan is coming back to Tet cricket after 14 months. Being on the field for 3 odd days would not have done the morale any good. And that, coupled with the short turn around time between tests, it could have been advantage Sri Lanka.
Instead, it is Pakistan that holds the aces now.
Another flat track and Pakistan winning the toss at Lahore will be the final nail in the Sri Lankan coffin!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Bucknored no more!
Rajneesh Gupta has the full list the times Indian batsmen were Bucknored.
And here is the video of the Tendulkar dismissal
Uncle JRod has mixed feeling about the impending retirement while Achettup articulates the feelings of many Indians!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Roll out the green
India were known for struggling on wickets with a little pace and bounce so the
directive was to put them on such wickets. That was the intent but the reality
was they were asked to play on fiery green demons. They didn't play particularly
well, were roundly criticised and left muttering derogatory things about playing
in New Zealand.
The make-up of their team has not changed much over six years and again they will bring a batting line-up chock to the gunwales with class.
Once again New Zealand's only chance may lie in playing on surfaces that offer movement for the bowlers.
India has seam bowlers who would also thrive in such bowling conditions but in flat conditions and in a pure bat-off, India surely would take a huge advantage.
writes Mark Richardson.
Thing is, taking 20 wickets wins you the match. And if the conditions are bowler friendly, India has a much better chance of taking 20 wickets than if the wickets are flat.
And if India get rolled out for 99 but roll in NZ for 94, and do that over the two innings, they still win by 10 runs.
Which is the only thing that matters.
So roll out the green.. Because that gives India its best shot of winning a series in New Zealand in 41 years.
Listed below is the breakdown of the innings played on the three venues hosting the Test series (over the last 5 years)
Seddon Park, Hamilton
In the last 5 years has hosted 2 Tests
| Team | Score | Overs | Target | RPO | Inns | Result | Opposition | Start Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 459 | 139.2 | 3.29 | 1 | draw | v New Zealand | 10 Mar 2004 | Test # 1686 | ||
| New Zealand | 509 | 164.4 | 3.09 | 2 | draw | v South Africa | 10 Mar 2004 | Test # 1686 | ||
| South Africa | 313/4d | 116.1 | 2.69 | 3 | draw | v New Zealand | 10 Mar 2004 | Test # 1686 | ||
| New Zealand | 39/1 | 16.0 | 264 | 2.43 | 4 | draw | v South Africa | 10 Mar 2004 | Test # 1686 | |
| New Zealand | 470 | 138.3 | 3.39 | 1 | won | v England | 5 Mar 2008 | Test # 1866 | ||
| England | 348 | 173.1 | 2.00 | 2 | lost | v New Zealand | 5 Mar 2008 | Test # 1866 | ||
| New Zealand | 177/9d | 55.0 | 3.21 | 3 | won | v England | 5 Mar 2008 | Test # 1866 | ||
| England | 110 | 55.0 | 300 | 2.00 | 4 | lost | v New Zealand | 5 Mar 2008 | Test # 1866 |
McLean Park, Napier
In the last 5 years has hosted 4 Tests
| Team | Score | Overs | Target | RPO | Inns | Result | Opposition | Start Date | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 561 | 159.1 | 3.52 | 1 | draw | v Sri Lanka | 4 Apr 2005 | Test # 1746 | ||
| Sri Lanka | 498 | 148.1 | 3.36 | 2 | draw | v New Zealand | 4 Apr 2005 | Test # 1746 | ||
| New Zealand | 238 | 92.4 | 2.56 | 3 | draw | v Sri Lanka | 4 Apr 2005 | Test # 1746 | ||
| Sri Lanka | 7/0 | 1.3 | 302 | 4.66 | 4 | draw | v New Zealand | 4 Apr 2005 | Test # 1746 | |
| New Zealand | DNB | 0.0 | - | 0 | draw | v West Indies | 25 Mar 2006 | Test # 1793 | ||
| West Indies | 256/4 | 78.1 | 3.27 | 1 | draw | v New Zealand | 25 Mar 2006 | Test # 1793 | ||
| England | 253 | 96.1 | 2.63 | 1 | won | v New Zealand | 22 Mar 2008 | Test # 1868 | ||
| New Zealand | 168 | 48.4 | 3.45 | 2 | lost | v England | 22 Mar 2008 | Test # 1868 | ||
| England | 467/7d | 131.5 | 3.54 | 3 | won | v New Zealand | 22 Mar 2008 | Test # 1868 | ||
| New Zealand | 431 | 118.5 | 553 | 3.62 | 4 | lost | v England | 22 Mar 2008 | Test # 1868 | |
| West Indies | 307 | 107.0 | 2.86 | 1 | draw | v New Zealand | 19 Dec 2008 | Test # 1900 | ||
| New Zealand | 371 | 126.4 | 2.92 | 2 | draw | v West Indies | 19 Dec 2008 | Test # 1900 | ||
| West Indies | 375 | 145.0 | 2.58 | 3 | draw | v New Zealand | 19 Dec 2008 | Test # 1900 | ||
| New Zealand | 220/5 | 51.0 | 312 | 4.31 | 4 | draw | v West Indies | 19 Dec 2008 | Test # 1900 |
Basin Reserve, Wellington
has hosted 7 Tests in the last 5 years
Friday, February 20, 2009
Shades of 1998?
Australians bowling Overs Mdns Runs Wkts Wides No-Balls
Reiffel 15 1 65 0 - 4
Dale 10 4 38 1 - 1
Warne 16 1 111 0 - 4
Wilson 13 0 46 2 - 2
Robertson 15 0 96 1 - 2
Blewett 5.1 1 23 1 - 1
Lehmann 4 0 25 0 - -
---
| | | | | | | |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | |
| DE Bollinger | 13 | 1 | 69 | 0 | 5.30 | (2nb) | |
| BW Hilfenhaus | 20 | 2 | 60 | 1 | 3.00 | (1nb) | |
| PM Siddle | 11 | 2 | 35 | 1 | 3.18 | (1nb) | |
| MG Johnson | 13 | 0 | 56 | 0 | 4.30 | ||
| BE McGain | 19 | 1 | 126 | 2 | 6.63 | ||
| AB McDonald | 8 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 2.87 | ||
| MJ North | 7 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 2.14 |
| | | | | |
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